21 November 2024 08:30 pm Views - 3849
Colombo, November 21 (Daily Mirror) - The United National Party (UNP) today disputed claims by its member Ravi Karunanayake that there was an electoral agreement to offer a National List slot to a nominee by the New Democratic Front (NDF) whose gas cylinder symbol was used to contest the General Election this time in alliance with others.
Issuing a statement, UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said a meeting was conducted among the leaders of the alliance partners of the NDF on November 16 with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the chair to decide on nominees to the National List seats won by the party at the election.
At that meeting, a decision was taken to meet again on November 19 to finalize the matter. A copy of the electoral agreement with the NDF was to be presented. On November 18, NDF Secretary Shyamala Perera stressed the need to nominee Mr. Karunanayake to the post when she met Mr. Wickremesinghe on November 18. Yet, Mr. Wickremesinghe declined to nominate him. Ahead of the next meeting scheduled, Ms. Perera had taken steps to nominate Mr. Karunanayake and sent the name to the Election Commission to be gazetted. It triggered a crisis on the National List nominee, according to the statement.
The statement said the copy of the electoral agreement was presented to the meeting the following day but some pages of the original document were found to be missing.
Asserting that the NDF has no right to nominate anyone on the National List, Mr. Abeywardena said Ms. Perera had acted in violation of understanding reached originally.
Mr. Abeywardena said Mr. Karunanayake, as an UNPer, would be subjected to disciplinary procedure definitely according to recommendations by the four-member committee appointed.