By Shamindra Ferdinando and Rathindra Kuruwita

President Ranil Wickremesinghe and an influential section of the SLPP backing him at the presidential election have agreed to form a broader alliance led by Premier Dinesh Gunawardena.

Political sources told The Island that the decision had been made following talks between President Wickremesinghe and the SLPP group at his official residence at Paget Road and later at UNP leader’s political office at Flower Road. President Wickremesinghe proposed that the campaign be conducted under Premier Gunawardena’s leadership.

Sources said that the decision taken by the SLPP at its Chairman Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Wijerama Mawatha residence, earlier in the day, to field a candidate of its own, wouldn’t have any bearing on their decision to back Wickremesinghe’s candidature.

Responding to queries, sources said that during the discussions, the dissident SLPP group had stressed the need to stop projecting President Wickremesinghe as the UNP candidate.

The SLPP secured 145 seats at the last parliamentary poll held in August 2020.

Sources said more than half were believed to have pledged their support to President Wickremesinghe. That group included several SLFPers elected on the SLPP ticket and other key members, including Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga and Leader of the House Susil Premjayantha. Sources pointed out that the SLFP recently reached an agreement with another dissident SLPP group that included Nimal Lanza and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa in line with their overall strategy intended to promote President Wickremesinghe’s candidature.

In the wake of the latest split in the SLPP, State Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon and State Finance Shehan Semasinghe, both elected on the SLPP ticket at the last general election, called for combined effort to ensure President Wickremesinghe’s victory at the Sept. 21 presidential poll.

Addressing the media at their new propaganda office at No 15, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya, they emphasized the need to sustain post-Aragalaya recovery efforts, under President Wickremesinghe’s leadership.

Minister Ranatunga spearheading the effort in support of President Wickremesinghe has declared that their decision wouldn’t be reversed under any circumstances.

Sources said that the Rajapaksas blundered by seeking to deprive President Wickremesinghe of support on the basis of a decision taken by the recently appointed executive committee consisting of 96 members. However, only 82 members had been present at the Wijerama Mawatha residence at the time a vote was taken on whether the SLPP should field a candidate of its own.

The executive committee, appointed about two months ago, included 20 MPs named by the party leader.

The MPs on the Executive Committee included S.B. Dissanayake, Gamini Lokuge, C.B. Ratnayake, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Chamal Rajapaksa, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Prasanna Ranaweera, Indika Anuruddha, Pavitra Wanniarachchi, Johnston Fernando, D.V. Chanaka, Thenuka Vidanagamage, Bandula Gunawardena, Pradeep Undugoda, Kokila Harshani Gunawardena, Sahan Pradeep, Janaka Wakkumbura, Kanaka Herath and Kanchana Wijesekera.

Ex-officio members in the group were Namal Rajapaksa, Sagara Kariyawasam and Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

Arguments erupted at the very beginning when S.B. Dissanayake, much to the surprise of the Executive Committee, declared though he accepted SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam’s proposal to field a candidate of its own, the current situation, however, demanded that the ruling party back Wickremesinghe.

Johnston Fernando reacted angrily to Dissanayake’s proposal while Prasanna Ranatunga, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Ramesh Pathina and Kanchana Wijesekera defended Dissanayake’s right to take a stand on the issue at hand.

Sources said that when Kariyawasam asked those who backed his proposal to field a candidate of its own to raise their hands, none did. But when those opposed to his proposal were asked to raise their hands, 11 out of the 82 did so, according to sources.