Detained Gen (retd) Sarath Fonseka will give leadership to a new political alliance under which the JVP and other parties will contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections, a senior member of the JVP said yesterday.
JVP Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath said the party had decided to contest under a new party and a new symbol after the failure of talks with the United National Front (UNF) to contest under a common alliance.
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| Vijitha Herath |
He said the new party name and the symbol were yet to be decided.
Mr. Herath said there were talks with other party leaders, including SLFP (M) leader Mangala Samaraweera on the formation of the new alliance.
The decision of the JVP came despite statements by the United National Party (UNP) that it was still open for a common alliance and was prepared to make changes in the party symbol in view of the current situation.
The UNP Working Committee which met on Thursday unanimously
decided to contest under the Elephant symbol, but also decided to allow party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to taking a decision on contesting under a common symbol or alliance.
UNP General Secretary Tissa Attananayaka told the Sunday Times that the party would go by the decision taken at the Working Committee meeting.
But Mr. Herath said his party had ruled out any possibilities of the UNP entering into an alliance to contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections and the JVPwas now going ahead with its own electoral arrangements.
He said that the JVP had no intention of contesting under the New Democratic Front (NDF) Swan symbol under which Gen Fonseka contested the Presidential election as that party was also linked to a former UNP MP.
Nominations for the Parliamentary elections are due to be accepted from February 19 to 26. |
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