Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a former chief strategist of Pheu Thai, has resigned as party member, severing the last link she had with the largest opposition party.
A number of the party’s non-MP key men who are not MPs also quit along with her — Pokin Palakul, Watana Muangsook and Ponsakorn Annanopporn. More members were said to follow suit in the coming days.
In her resignation letter to the party’s registrar, Khunying Sudarat did not offer any explanations.
She resigned as the party’s chief strategist in late September.
The 59-year-old politician had been a key member of Pheu Thai, dated back to its first incarnation as Thai Rak Thai, which she co-founded in 1998.
She led Pheu Thai to victory in the 2019 election and was one of the party three prime ministerial candidates, along with Chadchart Sittipunt and Chaikasem Nitisiri.
But after the 2019 poll, she was not qualified as an MP although she was second on the party’s list after Pol Lt Gen Viroj Pao-in. The mixed-member proportional election system introduced in the new constitution does not give a party any list MPs if the number of its constituency wins already filled its quota.