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UNP, OPPP yet to decide on national list nominees
View(s):The United National Party (UNP) and the Our Power of People Party (OPPP) are yet to finlise their national list nominees.
“No decision about the national list MP has been taken so far,” UNP’s assistant leader Ravi Karunanayake told the Sunday Times yesterday.
On Thursday addressing a news conference, the Ven Athureliye Rathana Thera said they were going to courts as there was a dispute about the nominations that were sent to the Elections Commission earlier.
Earlier the OPPP’s General Secretary Ven. Wedinigama Wimalatissa Thera had submitted his name to the Election Commission claiming that he had been nominated to enter parliament from the national list. But another group including the Chairman of the party disputed his nomination saying the party had decided on Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera.
Meanwhile, the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi ITAK, under which the TNA contested the August 5 general election, held a meeting in Trincomalee to discuss a proposal to nominate a defeated candidate for its national list seat. The meeting presided over by TNA leader R. Sampanthan was held following ITAK members’ demand that its leader and defeated candidate Mavai Senathiraja be named as the national list nominee.
However, the TNA parliamentary group insisted that Thavaraja Kalai Arasan should be the nominee as the TNA did not have any representation in Parliament from the Digamadulla and Batticaloa districts.