It was said that the moment Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva announced the previous party leadership would be decided by an open ballot, the country's oldest political party would never be the same again.
Chumpol: Slams 'irrational' Democrats
Already, cracks have emerged and widened in the party since Mr Abhisit won the Democrat leadership race and remained in the party's top post in early November, according to political observers.
The leadership election was called by Mr Abhisit, who wanted the party to act on the democratic spirit it preaches. However, critics warned that the contest may not work in the party's best interests at a critical time when it must ready itself for an upcoming election.
Critics insist the party must be more united now than at any time since the May 2014 coup, when many politicians went their separate ways and became dormant due to the ban on political activities imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
Now the ban has been lifted, politics is returning to its previous vigour.
However, the Democrat Party has been more divided since the November leadership election restored Mr Abhisit as party boss. He defeated Warong Dechgitvigrom, the party's former Phitsanulok MP, by barely 10,000 votes. This was a slim margin given Mr Abhisit's political calibre, as he is seen as being more experienced than Dr Warong.
Mr Abhisit won 67,505 votes while Dr Warong got 57,689 and the party's former deputy leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot pocketed just 2,285.
Pundits say the ramifications of the leadership contest still linger and may undermine the Democrats' chances at the polls.
Others say the "bitterness" and ill feeling sparked by the leadership contest have since evaporated and it is a case of business as usual within the party.
Dr Warong's bid to oust Mr Abhisit received the staunch support of Suthep Thaugsuban, the former Democrat secretary-general and co-founder of the Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT) Party.
Mr Suthep led the now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) mass protests and also backs Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to reclaim the premiership after the poll.
There was even an allegation that Dr Warong may have harboured an agenda to make the Democrat Party more "responsive" to the regime, or at least more amicable to the pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), if he was elected party leader.
The ACT was also mentioned as he discussed the latest crackdown on the Democrat Party.
Chumpol Julsai, a former MP in Constituency 1 of Chumphon, has made it known publicly that he is under pressure from Democrat executives over the candidacy of his brother, Supol Julsai. Mr Supol is running for election in Constituency 3 in the same province under the ACT banner.
Mr Chumpol, who rose to prominence when he took part in leading PDRC street protests, claimed Democrat executives told him to persuade his brother not to stand in the election, or the party would not allow him to contest the poll.
The former MP slammed the party for being irrational, insisting he had no say in what his brother decides to do.
According to the Democrats, however, Mr Supol has stated that he would leave it to Mr Chumpol to decide if he should run in Constituency 3 or not.
Some observers said the party made a fair point when it said Mr Chumpol was not being clear, as it appeared he could have a say in whether Mr Supol should contest the poll under another party's ticket.
But some opponents insisted that Mr Chumpol finding himself in hot water may have stemmed from a witch hunt to rid the Democrat Party of any undercurrents allegedly whipped up by party insiders that are now loyal to the ACT.
They warned that if the Democrat Party allows itself to be distracted by battles taking place within its own ranks, it may lose the "war" when the election comes.
Clock ticking on Democrats' dream
With the "Feb 24 poll" now looking set to be delayed, the Democrat Party will no doubt feel the impact of this when they inspect their finances.
Wissanu: Poll will be held by May 9
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam admitted on Thursday the long-awaited poll is likely to be pushed back because the government does not want to see related activities overlap with those of the King's coronation ceremonies, scheduled for between May 4 and May 6.
Gen Wissanu said the poll will be held no later than May 9, as speculation was mounting that the regime could not possibly hold it off longer than March 24.
The longer the balloting is put back, the bigger the headache for political parties in terms of their available budget.
The delay means most parties expect to face higher related expenses, certainly above the initial cap of 1.5 million baht per constituency.
The Democrats, unlike candidates from more financially sound parties such as the anti-coup Pheu Thai or pro-regime Palang Pracharath, will feel the pinch more.
Like other politicians from small and mid-sized parties, they are not planning to march into the arena buoyed by bags and bags of money.
The Democrat Party has already allocated a reasonable sum for its election campaigns after receiving input from the Election Commission (EC).
Potential candidates, many of them former MPs, have been preparing to visit people in their constituencies since the middle of December.
They calculated the budget for their campaigning activities by using Feb 24 as a reference point, so they would have had enough money to last 60 days and make themselves available to voters.
But if the date is to be postponed to March 24, the spending period will be extended to 90 days.
Election candidates, especially those challenging wealthier rivals, will see the postponement as heaping more pressure on them.
Former MPs who have secured strong political support in Bangkok and the South can use their decades-long popularity to overcome some of the limitations their slim budgets impose.
But any candidate who enters the political arena in the North and Northeast would be right to feel deeply concerned.
Isan has 116 MP seats up for grabs, but the Democrats are expected to win just three. In the North, the party looks likely to scoop 10 of 33 seats.
But despite this financial hiccup, the party stands firm in its belief that it will garner over 100 MPs. Most are expected to come from southern constituencies (at least 40 of 50 seats) and Bangkok (20 of 30 seats).
The Democrat Party also sees a chance in the Central Plains to end the game by bagging another 20 of 30 seats.
With over 30 additional MPs from the party-list system, the 70-year-old party expects to win at least 130 of the 500 MP slots available -- 350 constituency MPs and 150 party-list MPs. This could see them as the largest party, or only second to Pheu Thai, after the election.
PPRP 'benefits' from poll delay
The pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) stands to benefit from a possible delay in the Feb 24 election as the party will enjoy additional time for election campaigning to drum up support, according to political observers.
Uttama: Visit motives under scrutiny
It seems news of the possible delay does not bother the PPRP. On the contrary, the postponement even gives the party an advantage over other rival parties, such as the Pheu Thai Party and the Democrats.
The PPRP includes four cabinet ministers who concurrently occupy the party executive positions.
Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana serves as its leader, Science and Technology Minister Suvit Maesincee as deputy leader, Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong as its secretary-general, while the Prime Minister's Office Minister, Kobsak Pootrakool, is the spokesman.
As long as they still retain dual roles, the party can still control and manipulate state mechanisms for its political gain ahead of the election, critics said.
Now, the distinction between the ministers' visits to people in the provinces and campaigns to canvass for voter support is becoming blurred, observers said.
While a possible delay will give the PPRP an edge, Pheu Thai is still struggling to fend off "negative news'' that will affect its popularity ratings.
For example, there were reports that Yaowapa Wongsawat, a younger sister of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, might have fled overseas as she is believed to be among the potential suspects in the bogus government-to-government (G2G) rice scandal currently still being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Ms Yaowapa is the leader of Pheu Thai's powerful Wang Bua Ban faction.
The NACC is expanding its investigation after the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions found former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 16 others guilty of involvement in fake G2G rice deals on Aug 25 last year. Boonsong was sentenced to 42 years behind bars.
The Supreme Court ruled the rice-pledging scheme, the flagship policy of the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, cost the country over 536 billion baht in damages.
A source said Boonsong's information regarding the money trail will be crucial in the NACC's probe.
The rumour about Ms Yaowapa has gained traction because Yingluck, also a younger sister of Thaksin, fled in August 2017, before the court sentenced her to a five-year jail term for failing to stop corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.
On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the election date will likely be delayed from Feb 24 to avoid having poll-related activities overlap with those of the coronation ceremony.
However, the poll will be held no later than the May 9 deadline, he said ahead of a meeting with the Election Commission to discuss the election date.
Under the constitution, the general election must be held within 150 days of the constitution's organic law governing the election of MPs, which took effect on Dec 11.
His Majesty the King's coronation is set for May 4-6 and there will be preliminary preparations about two weeks ahead of the coronation period, Mr Wissanu said.
The preliminary rites are expected to kick off after Songkran, or April 15.
After the coronation, activities will be organised by the government to celebrate the occasion.
