The far South is another must-watch battleground in the upcoming general election, tentatively scheduled to take place on Feb 24 next year, if it goes as planned.
A potential competitor in the region is the Prachachart Party, which includes Muslim politicians of the Wadah group, who have defected from the Pheu Thai Party.
One important party figure is Sugarno Matha, a former Yala MP and younger brother of veteran politician Wan Muhamad Nor Matha, an ex-house speaker.
InquiryLines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.
Mr Sugarno, 53, is known to be a close aide of his brother, who is a core leader of the Wadah camp.
He said he refused to become an executive member of the Prachachart Party ahead of the incoming poll, as he believes he is not senior enough for the job, and needs more time to accumulate experience.
The party on Saturday chose Mr Wan Nor to lead the camp and picked Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, the former secretary-general of Southern Border Province Administration Center (SBPAC), to serve as its secretary-general.
According to Mr Sugarno, once the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) eases political activity restrictions, he would help the party proceed with various activities, such as recruiting new members and conducting primary votes.
"I have to help Mr Wan Nor coordinate various issues. I may have to act as a coordinator for the time being," said Mr Sugarno. "Right now, there are a lot of senior figures in the party who come to help steer the South forward. For the next turn, we will see."
Mr Sugarno has made it clear that he would contest the poll in Yala again -- where he has a strong base.
According to him, the first name to be put in the camp's party list for the poll would be Mr Wan Nor, followed by Pol Col Tawee.
Mr Sugarno stressed that Prachachart Party's members would try every means to ensure it becomes a people-based party and the group will attempt to address problems of people in all sectors.
Years of information-gathering has been turned into a new policy that is consistent with current social contexts, he said. Referring to fresh signals that the regime would soon ease the political ban, Mr Sugarno said this is a good step as many parties are frustrated by restrictions that prevent them from carrying out political activities.
"The lifting would contribute to a better political atmosphere," he said.
The former MP said the Prachachart Party is likely to send about 175 candidates to contest in the poll -- half of 350 seats for constituency MPs -- but the camp will certainly send candidates to contest the polls in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
The party's candidates, he said, would be contesting in 80% of the constituencies in the South, he said, adding other regions would also see the party's candidates vying for MP seats.
"If we continue to receive favourable feedback from people in the South, similar to when our party was launched, we think that we can be a middle-sized party with 30-40 MPs," said Mr Sugarno.
"After the political restrictions are eased, we would try every means to reach out to people and expand our networks as much as possible. We want to be the political party for all people, not only for those in the local areas."
Under the current charter, every party must declare up to three prime ministerial candidates to the EC before campaigns begin.
However, the provisional section of the constitution states that in the event the Lower House cannot reach a consensus on who should be prime minister based on the list of candidates, the requirement can be waived if at least half of the MPs petition the Senate and the House to can then nominate someone else -- an outsider -- as prime minister.
Mr Sugarno said in principle the prime minister must come from the democratic norm.
"It is clear that we support democracy. As for the parties that support the old powers, we would not join them. We have a clear standpoint," said Mr Sugarno.
Apart from the executive committee, the party also has groups of senior figures, women and youth who would help review party policies and raise local problems to executives for consideration, he said.
These local members are believed to be well-versed on the problems in the South, and how to solve them, he noted.
The party, he said, will try to find various channels to relay party policies to people, including social media, to take advantage of the increased used of smartphones, which expands access to information.
"Today, people from all walks surf Line, Facebook, Instagram and other websites. Efforts will be made to reach them through these networks as much as possible," he said.
He said the party will pass on the torch to younger generations, adding Mr Wan Nor could serve as the party leader for two or three years before handing over the reins to Pol Col Tawee, depending on the decision of the party's founders.
The party has made it clear that it wants to be the political institution for people in the future. New generations who have the same ideology would be nurtured to answer to the public, according to Mr Sugarno.
He insisted the party does not serve as a branch of the Pheu Thai Party as many have speculated, saying every party has its own stance.
He added that those believe so are influenced by their own prejudice.
"These people cannot move over the old stories, such as the political unrest staged during the Red Shirt demonstrations and court cases against fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, many of which have been dismissed," he said.
They are trying to fan the flames so people won't forget about these stories, he said.
If invited to join a coalition, Mr Sugarno asserted that the party would support parties and leaders that are legitimately mandated through democratic means.
"I am confident that we would prevail in the three southern border provinces, and the current feedback is absolutely wonderful," said Mr Sugarno. "In the constituency poll, we are likely to gain more than half of the seats in the three provinces."
"We won't let our guard down. We must visit local areas frequently."