Ranil to contest upcoming poll from Colombo District

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the upcoming parliamentary election from the Colombo District, a senior UNP source told the Daily Mirror yesterday.

Wickremesinghe has already informed his party that he will be contesting the elections, amidst reports that he may be offered a national list seat by Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa who is now leading the newly formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya Alliance, of which the UNP is the main constituent party.

The source said that Wickremesinghe's camp had also maintained that there would be no change in the electorates of any members and all will contest from their respective constituencies. This statement comes amidst reports that some UNP members were trying to contest from different electorates, causing disagreement within the UNP.

"No one will be able to make any changes to their electorates and this has been conveyed to all members. No one can be involved in any kind of trading," the source who is closely associated with Wickremesinghe said.

Meanwhile, the source further said that a final decision on the symbol will be taken on March 1 when the leaders and working committee meet, after which the UNP and its alliance members can prepare their campaign for the elections. (JAMILA HUSAIN)