MR on SLFP ticket

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Putting to rest speculations over the nomination to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, SLFP Senior Vice President W.D.J. Senewiratne said that the former President has been accommodated on the SLFP list to contest the August 17 General Election.

UPFA General Secretary, Susil Premajayantha, said on Friday that President Maithripala Sirisena at a UPFA Party Leaders’ meeting on Thursday (July 2) had agreed to give nomination to former President Rajapaksa to contest from the UPFA.

While Premajayantha said Rajapaksa would be accommodated on the SLFP list, many in the anti-Rajapaksa camp said there was no compulsion on the part of the SLFP to do so as the UPFA is a coalition and anyone could be nominated from any other party as well.

The SLFP Senior Vice President who categorically refuted these claims told the Sunday Observer that this was mere speculation by their political opponents to mislead the public. An SLFP stalwart said the nomination given to the former President has been approved by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The SLFP will contest under the betel leaf on the UPFA ticket. The UPFA Party Leaders had agreed to give nomination to the former President on the same ticket, he said.

He said that of the four proposals put forward, President Sirisena had only agreed to grant nomination to the former President and rejected the other three proposals which included the Prime Ministerial candidature, take the lead of the UPFA election committee and the Nomination Board.

Rural Economic Affairs Minister S.B. Dissanayake told the Sunday Observer that the danger of splitting the party had been resolved now after giving nomination to the former President on the UPFA ticket.

This has created an environment for the UPFA to successfully move forward in collaboration with all its constituent partners as well as other parties which supported President Sirisena at the last Presidential election. Sinhala Buddhist voters have much affection for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa while minorities, democrats and progressive forces have reposed confidence in President Maithripala Sirisena.

When these two factions join hands, it won’t be a difficult task for the UPFA to defeat the UNP. The decision to give nomination to the former President would resolve key issues within the party, he said.