The ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has set itself a target to meet in the next election: winning at least 150 MP seats.
Many observers have treated the PPRP's latest ambition with cynicism. Some believe the goal, trumpeted by party secretary-general Santi Promphat last week, may merely have been a charade intended to shore up the morale of members in a party fraught with division. Certainly, the rival Pheu Thai Party is likely to have taken note and will be watching to see what the PPRP has up its sleeve.
For a long while, the PPRP has allowed Pheu Thai to get a head start with an early election campaign despite the specific election date still being something of a mystery.
The main opposition party debuted its potent manoeuvring recently by kicking off the Krob Krua Pheu Thai mantra to impress upon supporters that it is now one big, united family with Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as head of the household.
Observers reckon it's clear as day that Ms Paetongtarn is being positioned as Pheu Thai's probable prime ministerial candidate in the next election. The mantra has given her a much-needed platform. It should heighten her political appeal and visibility as a full-time politician in the making, one who is instrumental in realising Pheu Thai's aim of clinching a landslide victory in the general election.
Landslide, in mathematical terms, should mean winning more than half of the MP seats up for grabs, according to observers. In the next general election, it would involve scooping up MPs from at least 200 constituencies nationwide given the new electoral system that is being ushered in.
With the dual-ballot method in place, the number of constituency MPs has been raised from 350 to 400, with list-MPs shrunk from 150 to 100.
Mr Santi, however, was quick to pour scorn on Pheu Thai's vision. "I think [Pheu Thai] winning a landslide victory is just a dream. The most important thing is our actions, and we will turn the PPRP into a channel for the people's hopes," he said.
But the PPRP's goal of garnering 150 MPs may come across as being no less of an exaggeration, given the growing criticism against the government for being inept at taming runaway costs of living, exacerbated by the energy crisis.
The observers noted that while a large section of the population is suffering from economic hardship and might hold the PPRP to account for their plight, which could deal a blow to the ruling party at the next polls, Pheu Thai could also find itself in a sticky situation.
It is common knowledge that elections are a costly exercise. Political parties require both "man and means" to stay competitive.
Pheu Thai has lost some of its potential MP candidates who broke away to join the Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) led by Pheu Thai's former chief strategist, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan. The TST commands a large following in Bangkok, the province with the most constituencies, and the party is believed to have enlisted the help of politicians with significant influence in some provinces in the Northeast, which forms the traditional support base of Pheu Thai.
Even though pundits seem unable to get past their suspicion that the TST could prove a vassal party of Pheu Thai, they also see the TST as trying to establish its own political identity and secure a foothold by fielding Sqn Ldr Sita Divari, Khunying Sudarat's close aide, as a candidate in the May 22 Bangkok governor contest.
Sqn Ldr Sita, 59, currently chairs the party's development committee. He formerly served as an MP for the now-dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party and is a former chairman of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT). He was a government spokesman during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
The TST was also sending candidates to stand in Bangkok's city council elections across all 50 districts. These will be held on the same day as the governor poll.
Political watchers added that if in the next general elections the TST emerges triumphant in many constituencies in Bangkok, Pheu Thai may see its political strength evaporate on its previous turf in the capital.
Elsewhere, Pheu Thai faces the risk of being undercut by its ally, the Move Forward Party (MFP), which has made inroads with young voters, a population segment the main opposition party is also chasing.
Ms Paetongtarn's increasing dominance within Pheu Thai may also be a tactical move as the party hopes young voters will identify with her. However, she still has a long way to go before proving she can outshine some of the key figures magnetising young voters in the MFP.
Prawit closing in on No.1 spot?
Deputy Prime Minister and Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has drawn attention to himself for triggering speculation over whether a plot is underway to unseat Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as prime minister and bring in an interim leader.
Prawit: Refuses to end speculation
Gen Prayut's premiership may be more fragile than ever during May-August with two events seen as having the potential to cut short his term before it officially ends in March next year, according to political observers.
One is a planned no-confidence debate to be lodged by the opposition camp after parliament opens on May 22. However, the grilling is unlikely to take place until late June or early July when the amendments to two organic laws related to the new dual-ballot election system clear parliament.
The no-confidence debate will prove a test of Gen Prayut's leadership as he does not have direct control over the PPRP MPs and relies on Gen Prawit to bring them in line when he needs their support, say observers.
Gen Prayut's premiership was threatened during the censure debate last September when former PPRP secretary-general Capt Thamanat Prompow reportedly lobbied MPs from a faction in the ruling party and small parties to vote against Gen Prayut.
Capt Thamanat, who was also a deputy agriculture minister at that time, was shortly sacked from the cabinet and early this year he and a group of PPRP MPs were "expelled" from the party.
Capt Thamanat's group is now with the Setthakij Thai Party and they have been coy when asked if their allegiance still remains with the coalition government.
Setthakij Thai Party leader Gen Wit Devahastin na Ayudhya, who is a close aide to Gen Prawit, has recently proposed Gen Prawit as a potential prime minister in case Gen Prayut runs into a political "incident" and must vacate office.
"Gen Prawit is an appropriate candidate [for the PM] to help the country. He has been working [as a deputy] so he knows what to do," said Gen Wit, former chairman of the PPRP's strategic committee.
In addition to the looming no-confidence debate, Gen Prayut also faces legal questions concerning his time in office which are expected to be settled during the course of the coming months.
The constitution places an eight-year limit on anyone holding the prime minister position, regardless of whether terms are served back-to-back. The question is when Gen Prayut's eight-year term began.
While a legal team from the House of Representatives insists that he is entitled to serve as the prime minister until 2027, his critics argue the clock started ticking when he took over the premiership in August 2014 following the coup in May that year.
The Constitutional Court is likely to be asked to make a ruling as the deadline draws near.
The possibility of Gen Prawit being a candidate for the post can be traced to the man himself who said last month that the PPRP may have to find a potential successor if Gen Prayut has to leave office due to an eight-year limit before his official term ends in March next year.
"I don't know whether the alternative candidates would be civilians," Gen Prawit was quoted as saying in reply to a reporter's question over whether the party would have alternative candidates in case the premier's term is cut short.
However, there would be no trouble, legal or otherwise, with Gen Prawit filling the premier seat, given that his position in the pecking order as first deputy prime minister would almost certainly see him named interim prime minister in the case of Gen Prayut being shown the door, according to Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam who is also the government's legal expert.
No matter how hard Gen Prawit has tried to downplay the issue, he remains the government's manager. He also managed to send political observers into a frenzy when he refused to comment when asked whether it was likely he would be named as a prime minister in waiting.
A highly-placed source in the PPRP said it is probably time for Gen Prayut to start exploring his political exits and reducing his dependence on Gen Prawit who has ties to every political group.
However, some political observers say Gen Prayut may decide to play his trump card by dissolving the House and calling an early election if he feels overwhelmed by the political pressure.