The increasingly complex business of getting the referendum issue sorted is fraught with technical hurdles for lawmakers who have to straighten them out.
In recent weeks, the bill to amend the referendum law has made little headway, which has left many observers feeling resigned to the prospect of the bill not seeing the light of day.
Adding insult to injury is the upper hand the Senate has gained over the House in pushing its amendment bill agenda.
The bill to rewrite the referendum law is the cornerstone of the charter overhaul, the ultimate goal championed by the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the main opposition People's Party (PP).
The two largest parties command more than 300 votes between them in the 500-seat parliament, which is more than enough for any piece of legislation they support to breeze through.
Things looked straightforward for the referendum bill until the Senate came along and resolved to undo what the House had agreed on.
The case in point was the double majority rule outlined in the Referendum Act, which specifies two conditions before a referendum result can be considered binding. First, more than 50% of eligible voters must have participated in the referendum, and the majority of those who cast their votes must approve it.
Pheu Thai and the PP want the requirement dropped in favour of a simple majority rule under which a winning vote of any size is deemed valid.
The Senate, however, argued the simple majority rule has no place in referendums, which are called to decide on national issues of utmost significance. The bar needs to be set high, according to the Upper House.
As both Houses stood their ground, the amendment bill was put to a joint MP-Senate committee to work out a solution, a process some feared would delay a charter redraft well beyond the current administration's term.
The formation of the 28-strong panel -- 14 members from each chamber -- raised eyebrows when two MP members put their hands up and joined the Senate in a vote to install Pol Maj Gen Chattrawat Saengpet, a senator, as the joint committee chairman.
A source said being chair allows the Senate to dominate meetings. Any such dominance is unhelpful to the joint panel, which has shown signs of a split.
Eager to iron out differences between the MPs and senators over the referendum rules, Nikorn Chamnong, secretary of the joint committee, floated the idea of a middle path he believed would resonate well with lawmakers from both chambers.
Mr Nikorn proposed a "one and a half" majority rule, in which the motion backed by more than 50% of eligible voters in a referendum is retained, but the motion does not necessarily have to be backed by a majority.
He defended the option as feasible, saying it had been studied and mentioned in a report on charter amendments considered by the cabinet back in April.
"I honestly want a compromise to be reached. We need to move past what is holding up the referendum amendment bill.
"Each side is entitled to their reasons. This is where a concession is in order," he said, suggesting there should be no cause for concern that a constitutional amendment may be an insurmountable task.
However, list MP Prayut Siripanich, who represents Pheu Thai in the joint committee, disagreed with the "one and a half" proposal, saying it is, in essence, almost identical to the double majority rule.
Pheu Thai affirms the single majority rule was the better of the two options. He also downplayed calls for a compromise to be struck as the only way to successfully push for a charter amendment.
"I don't think we should jump to conclusions.
"This is not about being vengeful. But it's not the right logic for trying to amend a law," the veteran politician said.
However, Witthaya Kaewparadai, also a member of the joint panel, threw his support behind at least half of eligible voters participating in a referendum first, saying otherwise, it would not be considered a referendum.
"A referendum is important, and the number of participants must be large enough, which by international standards, is [at least] half [the eligible voters]. For example, if there are 42 million eligible voters, 21 million must take part, and the winning vote requires the support of the majority of the voters who turned up.
At the end of the day, the list MP of the United Thai Nation party, a coalition parner, insisted amending the referendum law or the charter should not be regarded as a priority.
Most people could not care less as to whether or not the charter was to be reworked or the referendum would be organised.
It is the politicians who are all worked up about formulating the method that makes it as easy as possible to push through a referendum in as little time as possible and subsequently rectify the charter, according to Mr Witthaya.
A categorical denial
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry's actions against a resort in Saraburi for misuse of Sor Por Kor land might have flown under the media's radar had the plot in question not been reportedly linked to a political heavyweight.
Prawit: 'I've done nothing wrong'
As it became clear who the influential politician at the centre of the controversy was, observers began debating whether the ministry's move was a genuine crackdown on land grabs by influential figures or an act of political revenge.
According to media reports, the disputed resort and farm, Phu Nub Dao, is situated on a 32-rai pot in Muak Lek district. It came under investigation by the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) in late May, when former PPRP secretary-general Capt Thamanat Prompow served as the agriculture minister.
As a result of the investigation, three Alro officials stand accused of corruption and have been linked to suspicious transactions associated with the land purchase. A money transfer of about 10 million baht was made to an unnamed woman said to be closely connected to a high-profile politician.
Alro has demanded the demolition of the buildings and structures to ensure the land is used in accordance with the intended purpose of Sor Por Kor land reform regulations.
The scandal deepened after the Inside Thailand political talk show reported on the potential seizure of assets allegedly tied to a person romantically linked with an influential politician, which involved a resort sitting on the Sor Por Kor land.
Thanadon Suwannarit, an adviser to the agriculture minister, and Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), confirmed that the "sweetheart" of a former deputy prime minister was implicated in the land encroachment investigation.
Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon is widely speculated to be the influential politician in question.
After the scandal broke, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat vowed tough action against anyone encroaching on Sor Por Kor land, saying that no culprit would be spared.
When asked what would happen if Gen Prawit was implicated, she replied: "Anyone who violates the law and if the land involves Sor Por Kor land under the ministry's supervision, it must be returned so that it can be re-distributed rightfully to farmers."
Gen Prawit, meanwhile, handled a Government House reporter's question on the scandal in his usual manner.
In a phone interview, Gen Prawit said: "No, nothing. I have done nothing wrong." When asked about the report, he suggested that one of his close female associates might be involved in the Sor Por Kor land grab.
When pressed further for an answer as to whether he was considering issuing a statement to address the rumour, the PPRP leader responded, "What?" and hung up the telephone. He did not answer a follow-up phone call.
Given the political feud between Gen Prawit and Capt Thamanat, observers are sceptical as to whether the investigation into Phu Nub Dao is an attempt to settle political scores.
Ms Narumon, leader of the Kla Dharma Party, is said to be a close ally of Capt Thamanat, and both are known to be close since they served in the Prayut Chan-o-cha cabinet together.
Once a trusted associate of Gen Prawit, Capt Thamanat declared he had severed ties with a figure he profoundly respected, a reference to the PPRP leader, during the formation of the Paetongtarn Shinawatra administration.
He broke away with some 20 MPs from the PPRP, and the Thamanat-led group was offered three seats in the Paetongtarn cabinet, with Ms Narumon taking the agriculture portfolio and Mr Thanadon -- a known close aide of Capt Thamanat-- becoming her adviser.
Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Political and Public Policy Analysis Institute, said the land controversy is now in the CIB's hands, and the bureau will determine whether there is a link to the former deputy prime minister.
Police must move forward with the case and decide if they have enough evidence to press charges, while those implicated in the investigation have the right to defend themselves against the allegations, he said.
He pointed out that the public would gain nothing if the land grab scandal were simply a political vendetta.
"With a high-profile police officer handling the case and the way politicians are jumping on the bandwagon, the issue may offer no real benefit to the public at the end of the day," said Mr Thanaporn.