The government on Saturday stood firm on its political roadmap and Feb 24 general election amid media reports the polls were likely to be pushed back for a month for a technical reason.
Responding to reports about a possible delay in the printing of ballot papers, government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta said the government was sticking with Feb 24 as the poll date.
If the election was postponed, the Election Commission (EC) would have to clarify, he said.
"If there are factors pushing the election back, the EC will have to explain the reasons to the public.
The government has no reason to postpone the poll date and there is no hint or sign from senior government figures," said Mr Buddhipongse.
Under the law, setting an election date is the duty of the EC, which is required to do so within five days after a royal decree announcing the elections is published in the Royal Gazette.
The royal decree calling the general election is tentatively scheduled to be published within days, possibly on Wednesday.
The confirmation of Feb 24 as the election date was also made during a pre-election meeting with representatives of political parties chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Dec 7.
The possible delay in the ballot paper printing has come into focus now that the EC has reportedly decided to include the logos and names of parties in the design of a ballot paper following an uproar from politicians.
Earlier it was suggested the logos and names be excluded but parties objected because it was inconvenient for voters and would undermine the party-list MP vote.
They argued the ballot paper is used for both the constituency and party list system, and to ensure that parties matter, their logos and names should be present on the ballot paper.
EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma on Saturday dismissed the poll delay speculation as unjustified, saying the election date has not been officially announced, so a date could not be postponed.
He said while the EC's Office was ready to organise the polls from Feb 24 onward, the decision had yet to be made by the commissioners and the poll could take place any time from Feb 24 to May 9.
According to Mr Jarungvith, there were several factors for the EC to consider when choosing the election date and the printing of ballot papers was just one among them.
The EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong and other members were not available for comment.
Meanwhile, politicians on Saturday voiced suspicions about the possible delay of the election, saying the postponement would merely benefit just the pro-regime parties.
Thai Raksa Chart member Natthawut Saikuar said the printing of ballot papers was not enough to justify postponing the poll and the EC should stick to the Feb 24 date.
"If the election is delayed, there is one reason, which is to give the pro-regime party a leverage," he said.
Future Forward Party spokeswoman Pannika Wanich said the delay was not a matter of life and death but it would erode public confidence in the regime and hurt its popularity.
She said her party would have more time campaigning for votes if the election is delayed but it would rather see the election take place on Feb 24 because the people have suffered enough from the government's poor performances.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the EC to clarify the matter, saying the delay would have impacts on the government's credibility if it could not be justified.
His opinion was echoed by Suthep Thaugsuban, co-founder of the Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT) Party.
"People expect changes coming out of this election," Mr Suthep said.
"If the polls keep being pushed back, it will hurt their feelings. The EC has to explain."
Kanchana Silpa-archa, leader of the Chartthaipattana Party, expressed concerns about the prospect of the poll delay and called on the EC to follow the roadmap which is widely known in and outside the country.
However, some observers pointed out that the election day came after the qualifications of Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) leader Uttama Savanayana were called into question.
Last week, Thai Raksa Chart Party lawyer Ruangkrai Leekitwattana lodged a petition with the EC to investigate if Mr Uttama was qualified as the party leader as he was allegedly not a party member when appointed the party leader.
If he was unqualified to hold the leadership post, the qualifications of other candidates endorsed by the party would also be thrown into question, and they would most likely have to reapply.
In case of reapplying, they would not meet the 90-day membership requirement and would not be eligible for the Feb 24 poll.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda on Saturday dismissed calls for the government to assume the caretaker role after a royal decree calling the elections is announced.
"There is nothing in the law saying the government has to assume the caretaker role," he said.