Registration has closed for Taichung's city council election, and the crowded field means a brutal fight in several districts — bad news for newcomers, tough even for the two main parties.

• 102 people registered for 65 seats across 17 districts, with several districts badly oversubscribed.
• The worst crunch is in Beitun, where 13 candidates chase 7 seats, and in Dali-Wufeng and the Tanya-Shen area, where 10 fight for 6.
• Only two districts are uncontested, with exactly as many candidates as seats.
• The DPP holds 24 seats and is running 32 candidates, expecting to gain a few, with the East-South district its hardest fight.
• The KMT holds 33 seats and is running 34, hoping to sweep, though Fengyuan-Houli is shaky as a former councillor and a newcomer join the race.
• The TPP is running 6 candidates but sees only Dali-Wufeng as safe, with the rest first-timers going up against entrenched KMT and DPP incumbents.

Outlook: Expect heavy vote-splitting in the packed districts, with the KMT defending its dominance and the TPP struggling to build a base beyond one seat.