Democrat executives have unofficially agreed to expel Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra from the party once the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) allows political parties to hold meetings.
The executives cited MR Sukhumbhand's refusal to work in line with party policies as the reason, a source said.
The NCPO banned political gatherings of more than five people after it seized power last May.
However, his expulsion from the party would not affect his work as city governor, as MR Sukhumbhand, who has more than one year left before he completes his term, will remain in his position until then, the source observed.
Independent candidates are also allowed to run in the governor election. And there are no limits on the number of times a winning candidate can be re-elected as the city's governor under the laws regarding the election, according to the source.
By expelling him from the party, the executives would strongly hint that MR Sukhumbhand's future actions have nothing at all to do with the Democrat Party, the source said.
Over the years, the party has made several attempts to hold talks with MR Sukhumbhand over the performance of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) which he supervises, but the governor seemed to be insensitive to these efforts, the source said.
MR Sukhumbhand has come under fire after repeatedly rescheduling planned meetings with party figures, particularly the party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, at the last minute.
Cancelling meetings with party figures was bad enough, but asking his assistant secretary to call off a meeting with Mr Abhisit was the last straw, the source said.
The Democrat leader had requested to have a heart-to-heart meeting with the governor over complaints filed by the city residents about the BMA's performance at Suan Pakkad Palace in Ratchathewi district, which is owned by MR Sukhumbhand, on Nov 6.
Shortly before 9.30am, the time scheduled for the appointment, MR Sukhumbhand asked his assistant secretary, Bensai Keeyapaj, to call and cancel the appointment instead of doing so himself, leaving the party leader high and dry, a source from the Democrat Party said.
Since then, Mr Abhisit has received no word from the governor although the governor was supposed to call the party leader to arrange a new appointment, the same source said.
This was not the first time MR Sukhumbhand had dodged discussing his work record with Mr Abhisit, the source said.
Mr Abhisit wanted to talk to the Bangkok governor about his performance, particularly on the issues of flooding and traffic that have been slammed by city residents.
When being asked if he would be expelled from the Democrat Party, MR Sukhumbhand dismissed the notion, explaining Tuesday he had no idea where the story came from. "Don't make a mess. The story stemmed from two people," he said.
After being repeatedly asked the same question, the governor responded to reporters: "I will leave the story to your imagination. You usually make up a story when you are writing news."