• Decline noted in undecided voters from 40% to 30%; AKD and Premadasa in a close battle; RW gaining
• RW camp targets 35% votes to win; calculation by RW camp says could poll from 4.5-5 m
• Prasanna tells RW that SLPP dissidents have brought 3.5 m votes; others put number at 2 m
• SJB camp makes calculation targeting AKD; notes inability of AKD campaign to get needed numbers
• RW-Sajith camps’ fear psychosis backfires; many turn to travelling overseas, Tiran says has 10-yr visa
• AKD’s growing popularity blamed on Sajith’s failure as Opposition Leader by RW; Sajith blames RW
• Presidential campaigning makes key contender overcome air travel fear; RW gets cakes, caps on trail
• Sajith, SJB promote Ranil-AKD ‘deal’; UNP’s Shamal fails to deny deal, says it’s common in politics
• RW camp starts separate campaign to hit AKD; AKD slams ‘Ranil-Sajith deal’ over perks for SJBers
• SJB focuses on getting more defections from RW camp; seniors approached with portfolios, perks
• Up-country politician in RW camp denies defection talk; RW notes ‘plan B’ if SJB pushes defections
• RW says will take party leaders in SJB; SJBers concerned over promises of seats made to newcomers
• RW takes charge of more campaign work including speakers’ list; seeks support from Niraj and Channa
• SLPPers disgruntled in RW camp, Geetha turns to SJB; RW removes state ministers, calls Shasheendra
• SJBers’ group reaches out to RW camp, not taken seriously; Rohini’s 2nd vote campaign raises objections
• Clashes increase within SJB camp, witnessed in Kandy rally; Kiriella-Wasantha Yapa clash hits campaign
• Competition intensifies for PM post within Sajith’s camp; media hit on Sajith-Namal ‘deal’
• Special security for AKD with focus on health; water and glass to drink water for AKD carried separately
• Ravi notes blocks in probes, RW says cases on Rajapaksas a matter for court; Namal’s rally attacked
• ITAK split widens with one group claiming support for Sajith; ITAK to meet today to discuss support
• Dilith cautions people to make correct decision at polls to avoid irreversible mistake for people, nation

As the countdown for the 2024 Presidential Election continues, with just six days for the 21 September polls and with election campaigning to conclude on Wednesday (18), the campaigns of the key contenders – independent candidate President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa, and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) – have entered the mudslinging phase. 

With Premadasa and AKD both claiming to have already secured a majority of the votes to record a victory at the upcoming election, voters have been left bewildered wondering how two candidates could claim a 50% vote base for each of them. “This means with Sajith (Premadasa) and Anura (AKD) both already claiming a majority hold on the votes, Sri Lanka might have to get voters from neighbouring countries to also vote at the polls,” a political analyst quipped in jest.

However, ‘The Black Box’ learns that while there has been a decline in the undecided voters – a reduction from 40% to around 30% – none of the three main contenders have secured a majority of the votes yet. This fact was confirmed by the Premadasa camp last week when SJB National Organiser Tissa Attanayake told a private radio station that Premadasa was yet to secure a majority and that the campaign was now targeting securing the remaining percentage.

According to informed sources, both AKD and Premadasa have held close percentages of votes while Wickremesinghe has shown a continuous gain in his campaign. AKD and Premadasa are in the ranges of 35-40% while the Wickremesinghe campaign is focused on securing 35%-plus as well.

AKD’s vote base mostly comprises disgruntled and angry voters, and an increase or reduction of these numbers would play a decisive role at the election.

However, the fear campaigns that were pushed by the Wickremesinghe and Premadasa camps have taken wing, with many, including members in the two camps, expressing doubts and uncertainty over the situation in the event AKD wins the upcoming election.

‘The Black Box’ learns that some members in these camps are even considering travelling overseas on election night fearing a backlash in the event of an AKD victory. This resulted in several news stories that a large number of Government members and even SJBers had already made plans to leave the country on the 21st.

However, it was Public Security Minister Tiran Alles’s comment that captured the attention of many, when he claimed that while there was no reason for anyone to flee the country after the election, he had a 10-year visa to travel overseas at any time. 

Historical trend

The 2024 Presidential Election will be of historic significance given the change in the trends witnessed in the outcome of Presidential Elections.

In 1982, J.R. Jayewardene polled 52.92% of the total valid votes while Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidate Hector Kobbekaduwa polled 39.07% and the rest – Rohana Wijeweera, Kumar Ponnambalam, Colvin R. de Silva, and Vasudeva Nanayakkara polled only 8% of the votes.

In 1999, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) polled 51.12% of the valid votes while Wickremesinghe polled 42.72% and the JVP’s Nandana Gunathilake polled only 4% of the votes.

In 2019, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) polled 52.25% while Premadasa polled 41.99% and the NPP’s AKD polled 3.16% of the valid votes.

As witnessed in the final outcomes of the above-mentioned Presidential Elections, the final tussle has always been between the candidate representing the government side and the main opposition candidate. 

However, this time around, the vote base of the Opposition is split and while Wickremesinghe is contesting as the Government-side candidate, the Opposition is represented by several key contenders with Premadasa and AKD leading the charge.

The split in the Opposition vote base was recently taken up on stage by Wickremesinghe when he blamed Premadasa’s failure to hold the main Opposition vote bank with him, paving the way for AKD to emerge as a popular candidate of the Opposition as well.

RW asks numbers

Meanwhile, the Wickremesinghe camp has made a calculation of the number of votes the President would poll at the upcoming election.

This discussion of Wickremesinghe’s numbers came up after last Monday’s (9) campaign meeting at the Flower Road office presided by the President. At the outset of the meeting, Wickremesinghe had asked those attending the meeting about the numbers at ground level as well as the votes the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had managed to bring to his fold.

Dissident SLPP Minister Prasanna Ranatunga had responded saying that the dissidents’ group had managed to bring in a vote bloc of 3.5 million out of the 6.9 million votes polled by the SLPP at the 2019 Presidential Election.

Hearing this figure, many at the meeting had looked at each other in a disbelieving manner, given that many of the dissident SLPPers had avoided the ground-level campaign, leaving it to the United National Party (UNP) and the SLFP. Dissident SLPPers have expressed fears of being chased away by people if they engaged in a door-to-door campaign in the villages.

The calculation

Following this discussion at the campaign office meeting, several key members of the campaign decided to put pen to paper on the numbers Wickremesinghe could muster at the polls.

The numbers were prepared on the basis that 14 million out of the 17 million registered voters would cast their votes, with 30-35% of the voters still being in the undecided category.

According to the calculations by some members of the Wickremesinghe camp, the President is likely to poll between 4.5-5 million votes at the Presidential Election, which is close to 35% plus votes at the polls and could help him win the election.

GR polled around 6.9 million votes at the 2019 Presidential Election while Premadasa with Wickremesinghe’s backing polled around 5.5 million votes. At the Parliamentary Elections of 2020, the SLPP polled around 6.8 million votes and sent 145 Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House. The SJB (after breaking away from the UNP), under Premadasa’s leadership, polled around 2.7 million votes. 

Between the 2019 Presidential Election and the 2020 Parliamentary Elections, Premadasa had lost around 2.8 million votes. Out of the 2.8 million votes, Wickremesinghe and the UNP polled around 300,000 votes. This effectively shows a loss of 2.5 million votes by Premadasa as well as by the UNP. 

Also, the northern Tamil parties that contested separately at the 2020 Parliamentary Elections had also taken away around 900,000 votes from the votes polled by Premadasa at the last Presidential Election. This brings the gap between the 2019 and 2020 votes polled by Premadasa to around 1.6 million votes. 

The 2020 Parliamentary Elections also saw the highest number of invalid votes, which amounted to around 745,000. The Wickremesinghe camp has attributed this high number to disgruntled UNP voters and has accounted for around 500,000 of these invalid votes under the remaining 1.6 million ‘missing’ Premadasa vote bank. The remaining 1.1 million votes have been marked in the calculation as UNP voters who had not cast their votes at the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.

The JVP vote bank at the two elections remained somewhat close to the 400,000-vote range.

The calculation notes that Wickremesinghe’s votes started from 250,000 at the beginning of the 2024 Presidential Election campaign. 

It further notes that the JVP/NPP now seems to have secured around two million votes from the 6.8 million SLPP votes. Out of the remaining 4.8 million votes, two million has been allotted to Wickremesinghe and around another two million to the SJB, leaving around 800,000 votes to SLPP candidate Namal Rajapaksa.

According to the final tally, Wickremesinghe is expected to receive around two million votes from the SLPP, 500,000 from the SLFP, one million from the UNP, and around 1.5 million votes from the minorities and youth, totalling at around five million votes.

The Wickremesinghe camp has however noted the importance of reviving the UNP vote bank that had been disgruntled and stayed away from voting or spoilt their ballots at the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.

Be that as it may, even by last Friday (13), several key figures in the campaign were displeased that no proper plan had been put in place to effectively revive the UNP vote bank, which is being referred to as ‘sleeping elephants,’ amounting to over 1.6 million by looking at the results of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.

SJB calculation on NPP

Meanwhile, the SJB has also listed down numbers. These numbers, however, are not on the number of votes Premadasa is likely to poll at the upcoming election but the numbers that could result in JVP/NPP candidate AKD’s defeat at the Presidential Election. It is clearly evident that the Premadasa camp has focused more on responding to the fear psychosis building within the SJB camp over a possible AKD victory.

The calculations done by a group of SJBers indicate that JVP/NPP candidate AKD would require around 5-6.5 million of the valid votes to win the election. These numbers, according to the SJBers, indicate that AKD would have to poll around 318,000 of the valid votes from each of the 22 electoral districts.

However, achieving this figure is deemed difficult due to the number of registered voters in a majority of the districts. It has been noted that with voter populations in two districts – Vanni (306,000-odd voters) and Trincomalee (314,000-odd voters) – being below 318,00 votes, AKD would not be able to obtain the required number from these areas. The majority in these two districts are of Tamil origin and the chances of the votes going en masse to AKD has been deemed unlikely.

The calculation also notes that AKD is not likely to get a majority of votes in the Jaffna, Batticaloa, and Ampara Districts that are predominantly Tamils. In such a scenario, if AKD polls around 100,000 votes from five districts – Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Ampara – he would have to poll around 400,000 votes each from the remaining 17 electoral districts.

Given that the number of registered voters in the Polonnaruwa District stands at around 352,000, the Monaragala District at 400,000, and the Matale District at 430,000, it is unlikely that AKD could poll the required number of votes from these districts as well.

AKD would therefore have to poll around 500,000 from the remaining 14 districts. The calculation notes that this number would not be possible for AKD to achieve given that there are 523,000 voters in the Hambantota District. Also, considering that AKD would have to poll around 75% of the total votes from the Kegalle (710,000), Nuwara Eliya (603,000), Puttalam (661,000), Matara (688,000), Badulla (705,000), and Anuradhapura (743,000) Districts as well.

The calculation further notes that AKD would also have to poll around 70% of the votes from districts like Ratnapura (925,000) and Galle (900,000).

The final analysis of the group of SJBers who have made this calculation is that it would be difficult for the JVP/NPP to poll the required number of votes to emerge victorious at the Presidential Election.

Nevertheless, these numbers have not managed to bring calm to the agitated SJBer who is still concerned about an AKD victory.

Conquering fears

However, the intense campaigning for the Presidential Election has also resulted in one of the key contenders conquering his fear of air travel.

This candidate has stayed away from engaging in many overseas tours due to this fear, but has managed to overcome it during the Presidential Election campaign to engage in travelling in helicopters to keep up with the hectic rally schedule.

The heads of his campaign have taken extra caution when hiring helicopters for this candidate given his fears.

RW’s gifts

Wickremesinghe meanwhile seems to be on a high on the campaign while receiving gifts on the trail.

One of the first gifts received by the President was a cake from a bakery owner in Morawaka when he had visited the area to attend a public rally.

Wickremesinghe had been walking on the road towards the rally area when he had seen some people including two ladies from Colombo whom he had known and had walked towards them to greet them. 

The bakery owner who had also been standing there next to the ladies had been greeted by Wickremesinghe. The bakery owner had then sent a cake to the President, who was on stage. When the security had informed him of the cake, Wickremesinghe had thanked and accepted the cake, which he had brought to Colombo.

Another gift received by Wickremesinghe was a cap from a lady who had attended his rally in Kilinochchi last Tuesday (10). The lady had given the cap to the President as a token of appreciation for his service.

Wickremesinghe arrived at his next rally in Medawachchiya wearing this cap and said that it was a gift he valued so much that it was priceless.  

Sajith slams RW

On the campaign trail, Premadasa has taken the so-called ‘deal’ between the Wickremesinghe-AKD combine to the public domain. 

He has also reminded the people of a ‘deal’ reached between Wickremesinghe and former President GR in 2019. It is no secret that Premadasa blamed Wickremesinghe for his defeat at the last Presidential Election, claiming that he (Wickremesinghe) had not put his full weight behind the campaign.

Premadasa noted during a rally in the Kolonnawa area that both Wickremesinghe and AKD had joined forces to defeat him at the election.

The SJB candidate further noted that Wickremesinghe was acting like AKD’s secretary and demanded to know whether the JVP/NPP had agreed to give an appointment to Wickremesinghe under a future government. Premadasa added that the people had to decide whether they wanted to be part of the ‘Ranil-Anura’ unholy alliance.

The SJB campaign has also decided to engage in a special campaign to create a public perception on the Wickremesinghe-AKD deal. The SJB campaign media team has focused its attention on promoting this ‘deal’ and ‘unholy alliance’ as a main part of the campaign running up to the election.

Doubts over deal

Meanwhile, the actions of a senior member of the UNP during a recent political debate on a private television channel resulted in creating further doubts among people about the Wickremesinghe-AKD ‘deal’. 

UNP Headquarters Sirikotha Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shamal Senarath was representing the UNP at this political debate and the host asked him if there was any truth to the claims that there was a deal between President Wickremesinghe and JVP/NPP candidate AKD. Senarath did not deny it, instead claiming that there were many agreements and deals that had been reached between various parties in politics.

When the presenter pushed the question further, Senarath continued to maintain that deals and agreements in politics were nothing new.

SJBers reach out

Meanwhile, a group of SJB MPs who have been on the fence on whether to support Wickremesinghe or not, have once again reached out to the UNP side.

However, it is learnt that this time around, Wickremesinghe and his loyalists engaged in discussing with Opposition members to get them to the Wickremesinghe camp have decided to discuss with the SJBers, but without banking on their overtures as definite signs of crossing over. 

This group of SJB MPs had been among the list of Opposition members who were to join the Wickremesinghe camp following former SJB MP Thalatha Atukorale’s resignation from Parliament.

However, these SJB MPs had backed out at the last minute citing various reasons ranging from objections from party supporters to objections from family members.

Nevertheless, the UNP seniors had agreed to meet with the SJB group.

Getting more crossovers

Premadasa’s campaign heads meanwhile are focused on the numbers game to ensure that he will secure the required numbers to take him across the final line at the Presidential Election as the victor. 

Premadasa’s closest confidant, businessman Lakshman Fonseka, it is learnt, is continuing to focus on trying to get in some key members to cross over to the SJB fold from the Wickremesinghe camp.

While senior members of the SJB are making many calls these days to key members in the Wickremesinghe camp, Fonseka is looking at several senior politicians, including a leading up-country political figure. 

However, hearing about the SJB overtures to the up-country political figure, senior members of the Wickremesinghe camp, including the President himself, had spoken to this politician and asked whether he was going to cross over. The politician had responded saying he did not intend to do so.

The Wickremesinghe camp had then taken measures to boost on social media a statement made by this politician commending the President and calling on people to vote for him.

Portfolios and perks

According to a member of the Wickremesinghe camp who has been approached by the Premadasa camp, the SJB camp has offered an attractive package on offer for defectors ranging from ministerial portfolios to many other perks.

It is ironic that the Premadasa camp would engage in ‘crossover politics,’ which Premadasa continues to criticise on the public stage.

It is learnt that senior SLFP Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has also been approached by the SJB camp. Amaraweera has however informed Wickremesinghe that he will not defect to the camp.

Fonseka, it is learnt, is targeting crossovers from the Wickremesinghe camp from today (15) until the election on Saturday (21). However, Wickremesinghe has expressed confidence that key members in his campaign will not cross to the SJB side.

When several of his confidants had asked what he would do if at least a few unexpected defections were to take place, Wickremesinghe had said that he would then initiate ‘plan B,’ where several party leaders in the SJB camp would be taken on his stage.

Nevertheless, several heads in Wickremesinghe’s campaign, however, like SLPP dissidents Ranatunga and Nimal Lanza, have decided to keep a close watch on the members in the campaign despite Wickremesinghe’s cool attitude.

National List slots full

However, the promises being given by senior SJBers engaged in negotiating crossovers to the Premadasa camp have caused much concern among SJB MPs.

The reason for this concern is the fact that Fonseka, who is leading the campaign to secure crossovers, has agreed to provide National List slots to many newcomers to the fold. 

A group of SJB MPs had discussed last week, upon hearing that the SJB was prepared to accept more defectors from the Wickremesinghe camp, that the party’s National List slots after the next Parliamentary Election could be filled by the newcomers to the party without slots being available to any original SJBers. This, they have discussed, would cause much displeasure among the rank and file of the SJB which could result in crossovers to the UNP.

Changes in campaign

The Wickremesinghe campaign meanwhile has been hit with various issues from its inception. However, once again the President has taken charge of yet another issue that was causing much displeasure among electoral organisers during key public rallies.

The issue was related to the speakers’ lists for each public rally. 

It is learnt that there had been issues over changes being made by some members of the SLPP in the Wickremesinghe camp, especially a daughter of a senior SLPP minister, to the speakers’ list that was prepared for each public rally attended by the President. These changes have resulted in the deletion of UNP organisers from the speakers’ lists by including more SLPPers and by also changing the order of speeches of key speakers in the campaign.

Hearing of this issue, Wickremesinghe had directed the campaign office to give him the speakers’ list and that the list provided by him for each public rally would be the final one. He had also outlined a group of key speakers who would speak at the public rallies, including Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara, Ministers Kanchana Wijesekera and Ali Sabry, Thalatha Atukorale, and State Minister Vadivel Suresh.

Meanwhile, Harin Fernando last week explained the reason for cutting down the number of rallies in the Wickremesinghe campaign, saying it had been a strategic move to reduce the public rallies from 92 to 84.

Taking to X, Fernando explained that this move had allowed for a greater focus on one-on-one professional forums, resulting in a total of 200 engagements between the President and various groups.

This was made in response to a statement by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who is in the Premadasa camp, that more than 30 political rallies and meetings of President Wickremesinghe had been cancelled due to a lack of public support.

“There is infighting in that camp. Ranil Wickremesinghe has no supporters and that campaign is done,” Jayasekara has said.

New campaign heads

Be that as it may, Wickremesinghe, while taking measures to rein in his campaign given the failures of some campaign heads to deliver on the areas assigned to them, has decided to form a separate group close to him to engage in key campaign work in the next few days. 

As the Presidential Election campaign nears its conclusion, Wickremesinghe has sought the assistance of his younger brothers Niraj and Channa Wickremesinghe along with several of his confidants at the Presidential Secretariat to carry out key work related to the campaign. 

Niraj, who is a businessman engaged in the field of media, is focusing on the advertising campaign and media-related work, while Channa, who is also a businessman, is engaged in discussing and engaging with members of the minority communities as well as religious leaders.

It is learnt that Channa is now being considered as the de facto head of Wickremesinghe’s campaign.

‘The Black Box’ during the past few weeks revealed Wickremesinghe’s displeasure over the manner in which the campaign heads had utilised campaign funds, resulting in the President having to personally look into the inflow of funds and their distribution.

Disgruntled SLPPers

Meanwhile, SLPPers who have joined the Wickremesinghe camp seem disgruntled, with some even staying away from campaign-related work.

This fact was made public by dissident SLPP MP Jayasekara when he claimed on stage that he had received calls from several SLPPers who had joined the Wickremesinghe campaign saying that they had made the wrong decision.

Jayasekara further said at a public rally that he had then asked them to stay out of the campaign and remain silent since they had made the wrong decision. 

It is evident that although the Wickremesinghe camp has touted receiving the support of a majority of the SLPP MPs in Parliament, only a handful are seen on the campaign trail.

Geetha’s displeasure

It is in such a backdrop that former State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe joined Premadasa’s fold. Until a few days ago, Kumarasinghe had been critical of Premadasa at public rallies.

However, the first signs of Kumarasinghe’s displeasure over the manner in which the campaign was being managed was witnessed during the launch ceremony of the new alliance of SLPP dissidents under the ‘trophy’ symbol. At the event, many senior SLPP dissidents joining the alliance had expressed displeasure at the seats allocated to them. Kumarasinghe was among these unhappy SLPPers.

She had then expressed difficulties faced by her in the Galle District with another SLPP dissident, Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana. Kumarasinghe had said that she could never expect proper treatment in an alliance where Dr. Pathirana served as General Secretary.

Dr. Pathirana however had expressed happiness over Kumarasinghe’s defection, saying she did not have a solid vote base in the district and that she had continuously hampered work there.

RW calls Shasheendra

Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe has so far removed nine state ministers who publicly support other presidential candidates, mainly on the advice of dissident SLPP groups currently in his camp. These dissident SLPPers have pointed out that these state ministers are utilising State resources in support of other presidential candidates.

The President has also told everyone in his camp that they can leave if they do not wish to support him.

However, Wickremesinghe, it is learnt, had called Shasheendra Rajapaksa and said that he was planning on removing a group of state ministers, including him (Shasheendra). The President had asked if Shasheendra would want to resign before the announcement of the removal of state ministers was made public.

Shasheendra however had responded by saying that he preferred to be removed along with the other four state ministers because it would otherwise give a wrong view to members of the SLPP.

Concerns over Rohini

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Premadasa campaign is displeased with SJB MP Rohini Wijeratne Kavirathna for calling on UNPers and others voting for candidates other than Premadasa to cast their second preferential vote for SJB candidate Premadasa.  

Concerns have been raised over this statement by a group of SJBers, with party seniors stating that seeking a second preference at a time the campaign was claiming Premadasa’s victory at the upcoming election would create doubts in the minds of voters. They have called on party seniors to intervene and ensure that statements seeking second preferences for Premadasa are not made public.

The SJB seniors had also agreed with the concerns being raised and ensured that there would not be any more statements seeking second preferences for Premadasa.

SJB Kandy clashes

Meanwhile, the Premadasa camp is also facing its own set of internal problems.

‘The Black Box’ recently revealed the clashes between SJB organisers in the Gampaha District and their grievances that were taken up to the party seniors.

However, the latest clash had taken place in the Kandy District during Premadasa’s main public rally in Kandy. This clash has taken place between SJB senior and Kandy District Leader Lakshman Kiriella and dissident SLPP MP Wasantha Yapabandara.

While a majority of the MPs in the Kandy District have extended their support to Wickremesinghe, the sidelining of the likes of Yapabandara will not bode well for Premadasa. 

Yapabandara and several other key MPs like Mayantha Dissanayake and M.H.A. Haleem had not been assigned time for speeches, while Kiriella’s daughter, who is not even an MP, had been allotted a time slot to speak at the rally. Questions had also been raised by SJB Kandy organisers as to how Kiriella’s daughter had been given a front-row seat near Premadasa while MPs and senior Kandy organisers had been placed in the back rows.

Some senior SJBers, it is learnt, had pointed to the growing tensions in the Premadasa campaign and the SJB camp in Kandy. They have noted that Kiriella’s plan of entering the next Parliament through the National List while getting his daughter to contest from Kandy and enter Parliament was now creating issues within the SJB organisation in Kandy.

However, Premadasa had listened and not said anything. 

PM competition

Another clash that is brewing within the SJB is the battle to become prime minister in the event Premadasa assumes office after the Presidential Election.

The number of individuals vying for the premier slot continues to increase as days get closer to the election. The frontrunners for the post were Party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Economic Head Harsha de Silva, SLPP dissident Prof. G.L. Peiris, and MP Patali Champika Ranawaka. However, it is now learnt that SJB National Organiser Attanayake has also entered the fray.

This growing competition for the post of prime minister in his government has led Premadasa to remain tightlipped about who will be appointed to the post although he has placed much emphasis on his ‘team’. Despite questions on who he will appoint as his prime minister, Premadasa has remained non-committal while Wickremesinghe has said that the individual who commands a majority support in Parliament will be appointed as the prime minister.

However, a group of SJBers has recently discussed that Premadasa is likely to appoint Prof. Peiris as his prime minister given the latter’s seniority and educational qualifications.

Sajith-Namal campaign

Meanwhile, the Wickremesinghe camp has exposed what it terms as a ‘deal’ between Premadasa and SLPP candidate Namal.

The deal is said to have been reached between Premadasa and Namal, where the latter will support the former by way of getting his voters to cast their second preference for Premadasa. The Wickremesinghe media campaign has also stated that SLPP theoretician Basil Rajapaksa has also given his approval for the programme.

The main aim of this deal is to ensure Premadasa’s victory at the Presidential Election and for Premadasa to support Namal to become the opposition leader of the next Parliament.

One of the key reasons for pointing out this Premadasa-Namal deal are the actions of many pro-Premadasa media outlets to publicise news items in support of Namal. These pro-Premadasa outlets in some instances have overtaken even Namal’s media campaign in attacking individuals and parties that are considered anti-Namal elements.

RW camp hits AKD

The Wickremesinghe campaign meanwhile has also decided to carry out an attack campaign on AKD. This campaign, it is learnt, has been assigned to Harin Fernando and dissident SJB MP Rajitha Senaratne. 

The attacks on the JVP/NPP and AKD have been taken to social media with both camps now engaged in an attack and counterattack campaign. The NPP/JVP has already lodged a complaint against Senaratne over a statement made by him against NPP supporters.

RW-Sajith deal

Meanwhile, AKD has publicly challenged Premadasa to prove that members of his party do not have any deals with President Wickremesinghe by claiming a deal between the President and Premadasa.

AKD has stated that he is prepared to reveal the names of MPs who have allegedly received bar permits if Premadasa denies the accusations. He has claimed that Premadasa is aware of this situation and remains silent.

The NPP Leader has further denied claims that there is any agreement between him and Wickremesinghe, countering Premadasa’s allegation. 

Security for AKD

However, AKD, who was suffering from the flu last week, has had to pay extra attention to his health and security.

It is learnt that AKD along with several of his confidants travelling with him and several party members at the Party Headquarters had been down with flu last week. Due to the hectic election campaign, AKD had also ignored the advice of doctors for him to rest and relax until recovery. After taking one day off, AKD returned to the campaign trail the following day, attending public rallies.

Although AKD was suffering from a viral flu, some posts on social media using fake documents were posted stating that AKD was suffering from depression. This mudslinging campaign however was slammed by many as creating malinformation based on a person’s health situation, which was unacceptable even during an election campaign.

It is also learnt that due to the special care taken by AKD with regard to his health, his security has taken steps to carry water and a glass for him to drink water from separately while on the campaign trail.

AKD’s post-poll work

The JVP/NPP, which is confident of victory at the Presidential Election, is currently preparing the work to dissolve Parliament and go for immediate Parliamentary Elections.

AKD has already stated that the JVP/NPP is exploring three options on governing the country after assuming office and during the Parliamentary Election period in line with constitutional provisions. 

JVP/NPP Executive Committee member Sunil Handunnetti meanwhile has already stated that the country will be governed by ministry secretaries during the period of the Parliamentary Election until a new government is formed.

Handunnetti’s statement, albeit controversial, is something that was carried out during 2022. Following Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation from the post of prime minister in April 2022, the Cabinet stood dissolved and then President GR carried out governance work with the ministry secretaries. This mechanism played out until Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister and a new Cabinet was formed under him.

Ravi’s revelation

Meanwhile, former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Ravi Seneviratne has taken up the probes into several high-profile murders during the Mahinda Rajapaksa tenure, saying that the suspects linked to the murder of The Sunday Leader Founding Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen are still roaming free.

Seneviratne noted last Tuesday that both Wickrematunge and Thajudeen had been murdered for political reasons. He made this statement at an election rally in Kurunegala held in support of JVP/NPP candidate AKD.

Seneviratne said that investigations into the murder of Thajudeen had been obstructed by the Government at the time. “The Police was not allowed to properly investigate the murder,” he added.

Rajapaksas’ court matter

Wickremesinghe meanwhile has noted that the allegations against the Rajapaksas are a matter for the courts and that a government cannot convict anyone, while accusing AKD of attempting to turn the Constitution around by having the power to accuse, judge, and convict.

He has said at a meeting with the Muslim civil society that a government could not put anyone behind bars and could only file action. “Cases have been filed against the Rajapaksas in court. Thereafter the matter is in the hands of the courts, not in our hands,” he has said in response to a question raised by a participant.

Wickremesinghe has said that at most a government could tell the Attorney General to study the matter and file action. “Do not ask the Government to convict anyone, because we can’t convict,” he has added.

Namal’s rally attacked

Meanwhile, a public meeting that Namal was to attend at Siribopura in Hambantota had come under attack last week, leaving several participants injured, including a child.

Apart from Namal, Chamal and Shiranthi Rajapaksa had been scheduled to attend the meeting but had been asked not to attend following the pelting of stones at the meeting.

However, Shiranthi had visited the Hambantota Hospital to inquire into the well-being of the child who had been injured due to the attack.

JVP-FSP clashes

Meanwhile, clashes have erupted between the JVP and the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), which is a splinter group of the JVP that is backing presidential candidate Nuwan Bopage at the upcoming polls, causing several incidents last week.

The first was the clash between student groups of the JVP and FSP at the Sri Jayewardenepura University, resulting in the closure of the institution from last Thursday (12).

Other violent incidents were reported during a news conference of the Bopage camp in Colombo last Friday (13) and another where a bus carrying JVP/NPP supporters travelling after attending a rally was attacked in Monaragala last Friday as well.

Premadasa meanwhile has expressed deep concerns about the escalating violence and suppression of political freedoms in Sri Lanka, and has blamed JVP/NPP Leader AKD for contributing to this atmosphere of unrest and intimidation.

NPP responds

However, the JVP/NPP responded to the allegation of being responsible for incidents of violence by claiming that the party had not been involved in any forms of violence but that various parties were trying to blame the JVP/NPP for incidents created by themselves.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference earlier last week that some Opposition elements (implying the SJB) could create violent incidents after the start of the silent period on Wednesday (18) and blame it on the JVP/NPP.

Silva pointed out that Opposition politicians kept claiming on political stages that the NPP would create violent incidents and noted that the JVP/NPP had suspicions as to whether these politicians would resort to such violent incidents and blame it on the JVP/NPP.

Dilith’s warning

Sarvajana Balaya alliance presidential candidate entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera has urged people to make the correct decisions by looking carefully at all the parties with a proper vision. He has cautioned that failing to make the right decision at the upcoming Presidential Election could result in an irreversible mistake by the current generation. 

Speaking at a public rally held in front of the Public Market Complex in Ayagama as part of the ‘Dilith Gamata’ series of meetings, he has also expressed concern over threats to the country’s territorial integrity.

“It is very clear that the territorial integrity of our country is being threatened. They repeatedly claim that there is no such thing as civilisation and culture in this country. That means we are a country without culture and civilisation. 

“It is true that none of them have civility and culture and we should sympathise with that; 3% of the people are without any culture or civilisation in the world. That is the truth. But this effort to impose it on the remaining 97% must be defeated,” he has noted.

Jayaweera has urged citizens to remain vigilant, saying: “Therefore, we must say to the patriotic people of this country that they should watch cautiously as to what is going to happen. The decision should be made based on that. If not, an irreversible mistake could happen to this country from our generation, in our lifetime.”

Suma for AKD

Meanwhile, focus continues to be placed on the Tamil political parties in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran took the SJB camp by surprise on 7 September by expressing support for JVP/NPP presidential candidate AKD, stressing the need for extensive reforms in governance and an end to corruption. 

Sumanthiran told the media that the unmet expectations of the north under the previous GR regime had created an urgency for inclusive participation across all regions and communities in the governance of Sri Lanka. He noted that this inclusivity was crucial for the anticipated change to be deep and enduring.

The push for a corruption-free government was underscored by Sumanthiran as an important aspect of this transformation, with a clear call to support AKD in efforts to rid the country of systemic corruption.

Sumanthiran also dismissed any notion that AKD’s campaign harboured racist intentions by defending AKD’s record, noting his considerable efforts to combat racism in Sri Lanka, asserting that his stance and policies were aligned with fostering national unity and equality.

During a recent meeting in the Northern Province, AKD had said: “When the people of the south are rallying for change, if you oppose that change, imagine the mood of the people in the south. Do you want Jaffna to be seen as opponents of that change?” 

These comments were criticised as a threat to the northern population, especially by Wickremesinghe.

However, Sumanthiran defended AKD, saying: “I don’t think comrade Anura Kumara said these words with a view to expressing any racist feeling. I know him too well. He is not such a person.” He added: “In fact, he has taken great care to eradicate racism in this country, so we have no different feelings on this matter.”

While reaffirming his party’s support for SJB candidate Premadasa at the upcoming election, Sumanthiran also expressed a willingness to collaborate with Dissanayake on shared goals. “We may have decided to support another presidential candidate, but on this enterprise, we are together. We will join with him in eradicating misrule and corruption in the country. He can count on us for that.” 

AKD hits RW

In response to Wickremesinghe’s call for AKD to apologise to the people of the north, AKD called on Wickremesinghe to apologise to people in the Northern Province for inciting racism.

“Ranil (Wickremesinghe) is attempting to incite racism in this election. I must be thankful to TNA MP Sumanthiran. He has given the correct answer to Ranil. Ranil, you must apologise now,” AKD claimed at a Colombo rally.

He further noted that politics based on inciting racism was no longer valid in the country and was therefore unsuccessful.

RW meets Mavai

Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe visited Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Leader Mavai Senathirajah at his residence in Kankesanthurai in Jaffna on an invitation extended by the latter. Wickremesinghe met with Senathirajah after concluding his rally in Jaffna on 7 September.

Upon arrival, Senathirajah greeted Wickremesinghe according to Hindu traditions and the two leaders engaged in discussions about the development of the Northern Province after the Presidential Election.

After Wickremesinghe left the residence, Senathirajah said that he was confident of Wickremesinghe’s victory at the Presidential Election and that he had called on him to address the critical issues faced by the Tamils.

Senathirajah said that he had told Wickremesinghe that he must win the election and address the issues of the Tamils and that he had urged the President to use his experience and look to uplift the economy in the Tamil areas. He said that the need for a political solution for the Tamils had also been discussed.

Suma says no change

Following the meeting between Wickremesinghe and Senathirajah in Jaffna, Sumanthiran stated that there was no confusion with regard to the party’s position on the Presidential Election.

He noted that ITAK had taken an unreserved official decision to support SJB Leader Premadasa at the election and that this official decision had been made on 1 September in Vavuniya.

“That is the position of every member of our party including myself. There is absolutely no confusion with regard to that position,” Sumanthiran said on X.

Rethinking decision

ITAK Leader Senathirajah however has stated that the final decision as to which candidate the party would support at the upcoming Presidential Election would be announced today (15).

The ITAK had initially decided on 1 September to support the SJB’s Premadasa, as communicated by Sumanthiran during a press briefing on the same day. However, this decision and the ITAK Central Committee meeting that was held to reach the decision have been disputed by a group of senior ITAK leaders, including its leader-elect S. Shritharan.

Meanwhile, ITAK General Secretary Dr. P. Sathiyalingam had reaffirmed last week the party’s decision to support Premadasa at the upcoming election, claiming that despite circulating speculation, there was no change in the ITAK’s stance. This was also posted on X by TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who had been silent during the last few weeks.