The planned meeting between the Election Commission and political parties on Nov 22 could create a pretext for delaying the election, says Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
Mr Thanathorn said the meeting, which is aimed at gauging fresh input from political parties on election preparations, could lead to yet another poll holdup.
He said the EC may cite input from the parties, some of which have complained of regulatory restrictions and the limited time they have to prepare for the polls, as an excuse to postpone the election.
The parties doubted whether the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will revoke the political activities ban it has imposed since the coup in May 2014.
The restrictions have been partially removed to permit parties to recruit new members and convene a meeting to alter their internal regulations. However, election campaigns remain out of the question.
A royal decree to set the election date is expected to be announced next month. But critics insist the decree would be meaningless if the political activities ban is not lifted in its entirety.
Mr Thanathorn said political parties attending the Nov 22 meeting must take care not to create conditions for the EC to justify a further poll delay, adding if political parties tread carefully, the regime and the EC will have not the grounds to change the election roadmap.
Mr Thanathorn on Monday led his party members on a membership drive in Yaowarat, a predominantly-Chinese area in Bangkok. Somporn Juangroongruangkit, Mr Thanathorn's mother, also joined the campaign.
The FFP leader said he picked Yaowarat for the drive on Monday because it is close to Bang Rak, which is his birthplace. He said his party has been well-received by local residents.
So far, about 7,000 people have enrolled as party members, with some 200 new membership applications lodged every day, he said.
He added that he was not worried about breaking any election law because the EC has already approved FFP's membership drive.
