Progressive Movement chairman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was conspicuous by his absence from the political scene until recent controversies erupted over his vaccination record and a work of art.
His opponents have had a field day digging up what they termed was the hypocrisy over his choice of vaccine versus the vaccine with which he allowed himself to be administered.
What started out as Mr Thanathorn's announcement on social media of his Covid-19 infection upon returning from an overseas trip early this month, quickly turned into ammunition for his critics.
Many were left wondering how many vaccine doses Mr Thanathorn has received and the level of his immunity. His critics soon got hold of his vaccination records showing his first jab was the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The revelation was immediately leaped upon by opponents who pointed to the beginning of last year when Mr Thanathorn bemoaned the government's vaccine procurement policy.
Mr Thanathorn was later held to account over the release of a video recording of a Facebook Live session on Jan 18 last year in which he took the government to task for being too reliant on Siam Bioscience to meet its vaccination needs.
Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical firm founded by King Rama IX some 12 years ago, received the right to produce AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand, under a technology-transfer agreement.
The session, titled "Royal Vaccine: Who Benefits and Who Doesn't?" urged the government and the firm to reveal the vaccine-production agreement to prove the procurement was being done in a transparent manner.
Following Mr Thanathorn's comments, the firm insisted it was selected because it met AstraZeneca's stringent production criteria. In March last year, the Progressive Movement founder was charged with offending the monarchy over the controversial video.
According to his lawyer, Kritsadang Nutcharas, Mr Thanathorn is charged with lese majeste and uploading data that harmed the kingdom's security over comments made during a Jan 18 livestream about the vaccine.
Mr Thanathorn was now facing twin criticisms -- first, for consenting to be jabbed with a vaccine manufactured by a firm which he alleged the government may have been excessively dependent on at a time when the country was fumbling to work out an inoculation plan; and second, for possibly jumping the queue to secure his first vaccine shot.
Opponents had for a while tried to push for "VIP Vaccine" to rise to the top trending spot on Twitter, a reference to Mr Thanathorn's vaccination saga, in a bid to draw public attention to the issue.
They insisted that Mr Thanathorn making a "sacrifice" to get the AstraZeneca jab may be forgivable. However, when he was given the shot and the manner in which he obtained the vaccination may be open to question, according to his critics.
Phra Samut Chedi Sawatyanon Hospital, where Mr Thanathorn went to have his jab, reportedly said the vaccination procedure for the politician was above board. Its director Jomthep Wangsantitrakul said the hospital followed the Public Health Ministry's directive to give the vaccine to as many people as possible via walk-in and pre-registration methods.
The hospital was also putting the word out about the mass vaccination campaign. The director said he did not know who among the hospital staff called Mr Thanathorn to be vaccinated on July 1.
Meanwhile, Mr Thanathorn said on Facebook on Jan 11 that he was the victim of a smear campaign engineered by elements loyal to a dictator.
Dismissing the allegation against him as baseless, he admitted he was a public figure but insisted he had never sought preferential treatment.
He added it took a simple check to learn that vaccinations for people other than the elderly and those with chronic illnesses started back in June last year, a month before he was jabbed.
Many young and healthy individuals were already receiving vaccine shots in July in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and other provinces classified as Covid-19 red zones. Mr Thanathorn said he definitely did not cut in the queue for the elderly.
He also said his house in Bangkok is located on the border with Samut Prakan. People in his neighbourhood regularly cross back and forth between the two provinces.
Mr Thanathorn denied he knew the director of Phra Samut Chedi Sawatyanon Hospital. He also threatened to sue anyone who defamed him over the issue.
Last week, Mr Thanathorn again stoked controversy on social media for allegedly copying the work of a renowned Polish painter, Damian Lechozest.
One of his drawings, called When She Opens the Door, depicts a girl holding a lit lamp in darkness, which looks a lot like the painting Night Light by Lechozest.
The girl in Mr Thanathorn's drawing resembles Benja Apan, a key leader of the Ratsadon youth-led protest group, charged with lese majeste and who is in prison for contempt of court.
Mr Thanathorn has been a supporter of Ms Benja. He reportedly condemned her incarceration and suggested the student should have had the opportunity to complete her education and follow her dreams, instead of being thrown in and out of prison.
Addressing the painting criticism, Mr Thanathorn said on Facebook he was one of the many amateur artists worldwide who often based their work on masterpieces or other work that impressed them. The criticism followed reports he raised more than three million baht from selling three drawings at a non-fungible token (NFT) auction.
Third time unlucky?
Political observers are not so keen now to bet on the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) holding on to its House seat in the upcoming Bangkok by-election.
Sakoltee: Joining Kla Party campaign
They claim to have spotted a few things that could spell doom for the ruling party which has fielded Saralrasmi Jenjaka to defend the Constituency 9 seat formerly held by her husband, Sira.
Sira was recently disqualified by the Constitutional Court which ruled him ineligible to contest the 2019 election due to a fraud conviction handed down by the Pathumwan District Court in 1995 along with an eight-month jail term.
One factor believed to spell electoral misfortune for the PPRP in the poll is the involvement of former PPRP executive and former deputy Bangkok governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul in the campaign after quitting the ruling party.
Mr Sakoltee announced he would join the Kla Party's campaign, lending support to the party's secretary-general, Atavit Suwannapakdee, who is among eight candidates standing in the Jan 30 contest.
Both Mr Sakoltee and Mr Atavit are former Democrat veterans who previously represented Constituency 9 which covers Laksi district and part of Chatuchak district.
They parted ways when the former defected to the PPRP ahead of the 2019 election. Mr Atavit stuck around with the Democrats before he and another veteran, Korn Chatikavanij, decided to co-found the Kla Party.
Known to work closely with locals as their representative and as deputy governor since early 2018, Mr Sakoltee is believed to command a considerable amount of support from local residents.
Some observers believe that a large chunk of votes Sira received in 2019 were from those loyal to Mr Sakoltee. With Mr Sakoltee switching camp, his supporters are likely to shift to Mr Atavit and leave Ms Saralrasmi with less support.
Another factor is the Democrat Party's absence from the race together with the PPRP's waning popularity, according to observers.
Even though the Democrat Party is obviously not happy with the PPRP competing in a number of by-elections for House seats it previously held, it is observing political etiquette by staying out of the upcoming Bangkok contest.
However, it is believed the party's absence will likely benefit Kla, not the PPRP.
The political situation has changed since 2019 and the PPRP's popularity is said to be decreasing. With no political experience or achievements, Ms Saralrasmi may not be very appealing to voters.
Former Democrat candidate in Constituency 9, Pol Maj Gen Wichai Sangprapai, received about 16,000 votes in 2019. Combined with a considerable support base Mr Atavit is believed to already have and more from Mr Sakoltee, the Kla candidate should have around 32,000 votes.
The 2019 general election saw Sira win the House seat with some 35,000 votes while the runner-up, Surachart Thienthong of Pheu Thai, finished with roughly 32,000.
If Mr Sakoltee's and the Democrat supporters opt for the Kla Party as predicted, the race is likely to be a showdown between Mr Surachart and Mr Atavit with the odds slightly in favour of the Pheu Thai candidate, according to observers.
Should the PPRP lose, it will be its third election defeat in a row after two losses in the Jan 16 by-elections in Chumphon's Constituency 1 and Songkhla's Constituency 6.
Both seats were held by Democrat veterans, Chumpol Julsai in Chumphon and Thaworn Senneam in Songkhla. Both men were stripped of their MP status by the Constitutional Court last year.
Unofficial results show Democrat candidates Issarapong Mak-amphai and Supaporn Kamnerdphol winning in Chumphon and Songkhla respectively.
A loss in Bangkok could be seen as confirmation the PPRP is losing its momentum. The party had a winning streak in by-elections including the one in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Constituency 3 in February last year.
However, some observers argue that the two defeats in the southern region might have only been due to a wrong campaign strategy.
They pointed to the PPRP's decision to leave Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha out of the campaign and rely almost solely on PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon. The Democrats, on the other hand, voiced strong confidence in Gen Prayut and cashed in on the premier's popularity.
PPRP secretary-general, Capt Thamanat Prompow, who was in charge of those by-election campaigns, might have made things worse for the party, according to observers.
Capt Thamanat caused a stir during the campaign in Songkhla when he said voters should pick a rich candidate with a good family background. His remarks were seen as elitist and divisive and were used by the PPRP's rivals to attack the party.