Who is Pita Limjaroenrat? 42-year-old pro-democracy champion behind Thailand's political revolution

The voters in Thailand delivered a surprising and stunning verdict in favour of Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward party on Sunday, in what many call a historic poll.

The 42-year-old Harvard graduate, corporate titan and unlikely pro-democracy champion, Limjaroenrat left the Thai establishment in shock with a grassroot campaign pushing for royal reform that saw him emerge as a frontrunner candidate to be Thailand's next prime minister.

His party witnessed a record turnout with 14.1 million people supporting him, grabbing the majority in the historic elections.

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On Monday, in his victory speech, he vowed to become the next prime minister of Thailand and also said that his party is now ready to form a government.

"Today is a new day, and hopefully it is full of sunshine and hope," he said.

He took to Twitter and said, “We have the same dream, the same hopes, and we believe that Thailand that we love can be better. Change is possible If we start doing it from today... Our dreams and hopes are quite simple and straightforward.”

He continued: “Whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you voted for me or not, I will serve you.”

Pita Limjaroenrat's first appearance in Thailand's political scene

Limjaroenrat began his political career in 2019 after being elected to parliament as a member of the newly formed progressive Future Forward Party.

Founded by billionaire and resolute critic of the army, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the party performed extremely well in the 2019 elections, drawing the third-largest share of voters.

However, after facing a storm of legal challenges that as per critics were politically instigated, Future Forward was disbanded and its leaders were banned from politics which lead to demonstrations by young people in the country demanding new polls and amendments to the constitution.

Limjaroenrat gained popularity with his party's promises to smash political influence and reform laws relating to the monarchy.

On Friday, in his last rally before the elections, he told the supporters, "We will together rewrite Thai political history."

Limjaroenrat's life before entering politics

Educated in New Zealand and the United States, Pita studied at Harvard University on an international scholarship before going on to become an entrepreneur.

He lost his father at the age of 25 and following his demise, he returned home to run his family business which was heavily in debt.

He later became the executive director of the transport and delivery app Grab Thailand.

Pita, father to a seven-year-old daughter, got married to Thai TV actress Chutima Teepanat in the year 2012. The marriage broke down in 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)

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