A nomination fight inside Taiwan's KMT has spilled into the open in Taichung, and it is bad news for the party's mayoral hopeful Chiang Chi-chen ahead of the local elections.

• Two would-be candidates, Chang Shu-hua in Taiping and Chou Chi-yang in the southeast district, were stripped of their party membership for registering to run without the party's blessing.
• Chang blames the local party office for a rigid, top-down nomination process that drafted candidates instead of holding primaries.
• His warning: if Chiang Chi-chen underperforms in those districts, the Taichung party office owns the blame.
• Chou will run as an independent, pitching himself as the young professional option for voters without family or money behind them.

Outlook: Expect more independent runs in Taichung to split the KMT vote and drag on the party's mayoral campaign.