Popularity polls are being conducted in more than a dozen UBP seats in preparation for the next general election.

The United Bermuda Party's pollsters Penn and Schoen are carrying out the polls which have already covered marginal seats.

Now the poll is covering another six seats gauging the popularity and recognition of the sitting MPs.

Gary Pitman, the United Bermuda Party chairman, said: "We have been polling various constituencies and started off with the marginal seats and now we have added a few others.

"It is a name recognition poll asking questions like `do you know the following people?' and `have you seen your UBP MPs recently?' "The poll is a continuation of the tracking poll we carried out and is in preparation for the election, which is as far off as May, 1998.'' That UBP tracking poll, results of which were released by the Premier last May, showed Bermuda's two major parties were in a dead heat.

Seats already covered in the latest poll are Warwick East and West, Hamilton East and West, St. George's North and South and Pembroke East Central.

Constituencies to be polled are Paget East, Southampton West, Smith's North and South, Pembroke West and Pembroke West Central.

MPs representing those seats include all the "People's Five'' of Trevor Moniz, Dr. David Dyer, Dr. Clarence Terceira, Jim Woolridge and Ann Cartwright DeCouto.

They also include Sir John Swan's seat, Finance Minister Grant Gibbons constituency as well as Education Minister Jerome Dill, Works Minister Leonard Gibbons, Planning Minister Pamela Gordon, Tourism Minister David Dodwell and House Speaker Ernest DeCouto, .

Privately some of the MPs concerned feel the polls are being used as a test of support for the "Five'' and to see if other candidates might unseat them if fielded in a general election.

The "Five'' have been responsible for a string of embarrassing defeats for Government as well as the passing of the PLP's motion of censure against Premier David Saul, which they supported.

Mr. Pitman denied there was anything "pointed'' about the polls, which he said were conducted annually.

He added: "It is always the case that one never knows if a candidate will continue in the same constituency year after year.

"Possibly some of the members will be stepping down in these constituencies and if that is the case we would want to see if there was another candidate.''