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House heads for another stormy session
By Chandani Kirinde
Parliament is set to head for another stormy session when sittings commence on Tuesday with the election of the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairman of Committees being the main items on the agenda.

Four new MPs, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Mervyn Silva, Wijedasa Rajapakse of the UPFA and P. Ariyendran of the TNA are also scheduled to take their oaths. Opposition parties have decided to field a common candidate for the two posts.

TNA National list MP Joseph Pararajasingam said the party's parliamentary group would decide on Tuesday morning. The JHU too said they would decide on Monday.

Chief Opposition Whip Mahinda Samarasinghe said they were in the process of discussing who the suitable candidates were. The UPFA members who resigned to pave way for the three new MPs included Mr. Silva's wife Mary Lucida and Janadasa Peries who was subsequently appointed Chairman of Associated Newspapers Ltd.

Parliament has also been informed of the resignation of Kingsley Rasanayagam, the TNA MP who was elected from Batticaloa. P. Ariyendran is to replace him. Meanwhile, the first Party Leaders' meeting under the newly elected Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara will be held at the Parliamentary complex tomorrow to decide on issues to be discussed during this week's sittings.

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