At the UNP Working Committee meeting held yesterday, MPs Daya Gamage and Navin Dissanayake insisted that they be granted permission to contest their respective districts under the elephant symbol while MP Ruwan Wijewardene empathised on contesting all districts under that symbol.

Accordingly, MPs Gamage and Dissanayake sought permission to contest their districts of Digamadulla and Nuwara Eliya under the elephant symbol. Sources said several other MPs including Palitha Range Bandara and Vajira Abeywardena too expressed similar sentiments -- this was when an announcement was made that the advisory committee had decided to contest under the elephant symbol.

MP Wijewardene had said he did not want to contest from another symbol than the elephant selected by UNP’s founder leader, the late D.S Senanayake. He said it was a symbol all Sri Lankans were used to.

However, several others including Ravinda Samaraweera expressed different ideas and stressed on contesting under the swan symbol. (Yohan Perera)