A source close to the commissioners said that after meeting a group of 17 senators who had called on the EC to cancel the poll, Vasana indicated his anxiety to close aides, saying the election could lead to violence and never-ending by-elections.

The source said Vasana believed there was no way out of the political crisis. Although he wanted the election postponed, he did not have the authority to order the change, as it relied on a Cabinet decision.

Earlier, Vasana said he had asked EC officials to call an urgent meeting of the four other commissioners for tomorrow. "I want us to come to a resolution about how the EC will stand on the controversy," he said. Postponing the election would need the Cabinet's say before getting royal approval, he added.

More than 270 of the 400 constituencies have only one contender. Almost all of them belong to the Thai Rak Thai Party.

The law requires each of them to get 20 per cent of the overall turnout in the constituency, otherwise the EC is obliged to call a by-election.

One major problem that has yet to be resolved is that the House cannot sit unless it has a full complement of 400 constituency MPs and 100 party-list MPs.

One Thai Rak Thai party-list candidate has unexpectedly pulled out of the election, and electoral rules do not allow for a replacement.