UNP leadership vote today

Chamikara Weerasinghe

There was anxiety at Sirikotha when UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya handed over his nomination papers to contest the position of party leader at the party’s working committee meeting yesterday, Sirikotha sources told the Daily News. The UNP Committee will hold a vote today for the position of UNP leader, the sources said.

A vote will also take place for the positions of Deputy Leader and National Organizer of the party.

UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa and Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayaka will contest the position of Deputy Leader. UNP MPs Daya Gamage and Dayasiri Jayasekara will contest the position of National Organizer, sources said.

They are expected to hand in their nominations before 3 pm today. The party’s chairman Gamini Jayawickrema was elected as the chairman of the party without contest at the Working Committee meeting yesterday.

According to political sources, in the event Ranil Wickremesinghe retains his position as the Leader of the party Karu Jayasuriya and Sajith Premadasa are likely to lose their positions as Deputy Leader and National Organizer. The position held by MP Tissa Attanayaka as the party’s Secretary will be safe in the hands of Wickremesinghe, they added.