Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted he and the leader of the ruling Palang Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), Prawit Wongsuwon, are not political enemies.
Gen Prayut said he has talked to Gen Prawit and made it clear they were not political foes, regardless of their affiliation to different parties.
Gen Prayut has announced he is seeking membership of the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party, a move widely interpreted as turning his back on the PPRP, which nominated him as prime minister in the previous 2019 election.
"We're still bound together by hearts. Politics is a separate issue," he said.
The premier's remark mirrored that of Gen Prawit, who said last week that he never regarded Gen Prayut as his rival. However, the coming election is another matter entirely, Gen Prawit added.
The two generals belong to the Three Por Generals clique, which also includes Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda. Together the generals hold the highest administrative powers in their hands.
But by going their separate ways in the next polls, Gen Prayut and Gen Prawit could see the clique's power undermined, if not disintegrate, with Gen Anupong having declared his imminent plan to exit politics for good, citing his age.
The two generals' assurances that they would remain brothers amid the poll competition were also called into question, according to political analysts.
If Gen Prayut vied for re-election as premier on the UTN's ticket after the next poll and Gen Prawit was nominated for prime minister by the PPRP, the two would be locking horns over who should be chosen by parliament to be prime minister, assuming both the UTN and the PPRP form the next government together.
The analysts noted that the UTN, being a new party on the bloc, will have its hands full consolidating its support base as it competes for MP seats. The law requires a party to capture at least 25 seats for it to qualify to nominate a prime minister.
Gen Prayut on Tuesday dismissed speculation he will be named chief of the UTN's superboard, which issues and directs the party's policies. The post is expected to be equal to, if not higher than, the party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga.
Emerging from the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Gen Prayut told reporters he planned to apply for UTN membership at the proper time to avoid any legal complications.
As for the superboard position, the prime minister insisted he has made no decisions on the issue and that the priority now is to secure party membership.
Meanwhile, Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul denied speculation that Bhumjaithai, the PPRP and the main opposition Pheu Thai Party will band together to form the next government.
He added there had been no talks between the three parties on a possible coalition. They are widely speculated to be the three biggest parties that will emerge from the poll tentatively set for May 7. Bhumjaithai is thought to have the best chance of garnering the most seats of all the parties in the current coalition line-up.
Mr Anutin said that while his party denounces political polarisation, he failed to understand why it has been assumed that Bhumjaithai was being indiscriminate by opening up to any party with which to establish the next government.
