News
SJB-UNP talks fail again; Tissa pulls out of delegation
by Shamindra Ferdinando
The UNP and its breakaway faction SJB have failed again to reach a consensus on joining forces, ahead of the forthcoming Local Government elections.
Formal talks between the two parties were likely to be suspended pending LG polls, sources said, adding inflexible positions taken by some politicians undermined the reconciliation effort.
The talks had fallen through due to the leadership issue, sources said. Declaring that the NPP government had been struggling to cope up with a spate of issues, with the latest being the countrywide power outage and subsequent electricity cuts, an SJB MP asserted that if they contested under one banner, a significant challenge could have been posed to the NPP.
SJB General Secretary and National List MP Ranjith Maddumabandara and former MP Thalatha Atukorale led the SJB and the UNP delegations, respectively. Perhaps, those elected on the SJB and UNP ticket at the forthcoming LG polls could work together in local councils, sources said, explaining they were making efforts to make such an arrangement a reality.
A section of the UNP formed the SJB in early 2020 to contest the parliamentary election in the same year. The SJB secured 54 seats, including seven NL slots at that election while the UNP was reduced to a single NL slot. At the last general election conducted in Nov 2024, the SJB managed to obtain 40 seats, including five NL slots, whereas the UNP didn’t contest under its own symbol. Instead, it fielded candidates under the NDF ticket but failed to secure a single seat.
The NDF parliamentary group consists of five, including two NL members.
Political sources said that their failure to address the leadership issue ahead of fresh nominations for LG polls meant that there was no likelihood of the two parties coming together to contest elections anytime soon. Speaking to The Island, an Opposition MP familiar with negotiations said: “We agreed to disagree. There were four rounds of talks between the SJB and the UNP after the last general election but we seemed to be unable to convince the UNP to accept Sajith Premadasa’s leadership.”
The SJB insisted that Sajith Premadasa be appointed the leader of the alliance to be formed, sources said pointing out that had they resolved the leadership issue ahead of the Sept 2024 presidential election, the outcome could have been different. SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa and Independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe together polled 6.6 mn votes while Anura Kumara Dissanayake obtained 5.6 mn votes.
Meanwhile, SJB sources said that the main Opposition party would vote for the Local Government Elections (Special Provisions) Bill today (17) to enable the Election Commission to call for fresh nominations for the upcoming local government polls.
The Supreme Court has stipulated that the Election Commission should take steps to hold elections no later than three months from the date the Act comes into force. Political sources said that the LG poll was likely to be held in the last week of April.
The LG polls were fixed for March 9, 2023 but postponed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe claiming the government didn’t have the required funds.
Latest News
Landslide Earyly Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The Landslide Early Warning Centre of the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued early warnings to the Districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura from 1600hrs on 13th June 2026 till 1600hrs on 14th June 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surounding areas of Palindanuwara and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya and Ayagama, Pelmadulla,
Godakawela, Elapatha, Kalawana, Ratnapura and Nivithigala in the Ratnapura district.
News
INS Sharda departs Colombo concluding replenishment visit
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) ‘Sharda’ departed the island today (13 Jun 26), concluding her replenishment purposes.
On departure the vessel was accorded a traditional naval farewell by the Sri Lanka Navy at the Port of Colombo.
The visit also paved the way for vibrant personnel interactions, fostering camaraderie and goodwill. The crew of INS Sharda and personnel from the Sri Lanka Navy participated in a
friendly volleyball match and a joint yoga session. A
dditionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel had the opportunity to visit the Indian naval vessel, while the visiting crew took time to explore several culturally significant landmarks across the island.
Latest News
Special Dengue Prevention Week declared in Colombo District from June 15 to 21
A decision has been taken to declare a Special Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 of June by the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee to curb the spread of the disease in the Colombo District.
This decision was taken at the meeting of the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee held on Friday (12) at the Colombo District Secretariat under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Compared to last year, the number of dengue cases reported this year has increased significantly. According to the National Dengue Control Unit, approximately 39,100 dengue cases have been reported island wide to date, of which 25.8% have been recorded in the Colombo District. Following this situation, the Colombo District has been identified as a high-risk district.
Health authorities informed that the increasing spread of the disease has been influenced not only by the nature of circulating virus but also to the lack of sufficient immunity among the population. They further noted that the recent period of heavy rainfall has aggravated the spread of Dengue.
It was also identified that the current outbreak is being reported more frequently from public places such as government institutions, private establishments, schools, and religious venues rather than from residential premises. Observations have identified improperly managed solid waste and drainage systems in offices and other public locations as major breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Accordingly, during the Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 June, a series of measures will be implemented, including, organising community clean-up campaigns in government and private institutions, schools, residential areas, and other public spaces; Conducting inspections of high-risk premises by Divisional Secretariats and taking legal action, where necessary, followed by awareness programmes; Distributing informational leaflets, displaying banners, and carrying out public awareness campaigns through the media. Health authorities also requested school administrations not to involve students below Grade 10 in school cleaning programmes and to immediately notify the relevant Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office if a student is diagnosed with dengue.
The programme is expected to receive the active support and participation of the district’s political leadership, religious leaders of all faiths, public officials, local government institutions, the tri-forces, the police, and the general public.
The event was attended by the Chairperson of the District Coordination Committee, Members of Parliament, representatives of local government authorities, government secretaries, police officers, and officials representing the education and health sectors, among others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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