By Yohan Perera

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara has appointed a special committee to look into complaints and objections that have been made by various people and parties against some candidates which the party is slated to field at the General Elections 2024.

An official statement issued by the party said General Secretary Madduma Bandara has appointed a committee headed by former MP Eran Wickramaratne to look into the objections and complaints, following instructions by party leader Sajith Premadasa.

The other members of the committee are President’s Counsel Dinal Philips, Nalin Dissanayake and S. D. Jayanatha.

The committee has been asked to carry out an inquiry and submit a report to the nomination board.

It was reported that nomination lists will be changed based on the recommendations that will be made by the committee headed by Mr. Wickramaratne. Those who have legal issues and various charges will not be given the ticket according to party sources.

Meanwhile, it is reported that some former SJB MPs will shuffle across the districts this year. Accordingly, Sujeewa Senasinghe who contested from Colombo in 2020 will be contesting from Kandy District this time. “I have been appointed as the District leader of Kandy as former MP Lakshman Kiriella will not be contesting this time,” Mr. Senasinghe told Daily Mirror.

In another development, some members of SJB are of the opinion that the party suffered an electoral setback at the recently concluded Presidential Election because of the associations it had with unsuitable persons. This opinion was voiced by Harshana Rajakaruna at a media briefing yesterday. “We may have suffered a setback at the Presidential Election as we have associated with unsuitable persons. However, we are fielding an able team for the General Election,” he said.