Bitter perhaps in General Election (3)
I believe the answer is:
ale
'bitter perhaps' is the definition.
'in general election' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'ALE' is hidden in the letters of 'general election'.
(Other definitions for ale that I've seen before include "brew" , "English beer in sales" , "Grog" , "One beer" , "Light-coloured beer" .)