Sri Lanka Election Fever: Parties Scramble for Alliances and Candidates

All major political parties in Sri Lanka are actively preparing for the parliamentary election on November 14. The ruling NPP is finalizing its candidates, while the UNP seeks alliances post-presidential loss. Tamil groups are also engaged in coalition talks. Nomination submissions close on October 11.

In a flurry of political activity, Sri Lanka's major parties are gearing up for the parliamentary election set for November 14. As the deadline for nominations approaches on October 11, none of the 22 electoral districts have yet seen major party submissions.

The ruling National People's Power (NPP) party, fresh off its presidential victory on September 21, is in the final stages of selecting its candidates. 'We have already changed the political culture with our governance so far during the last two weeks,' stated NPP leader Samantha Vidyaratne, expressing the party's commitment to introducing new faces.

Meanwhile, the United National Party (UNP) is working on forming an election pact after failing to merge with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) for the presidential election. Having garnered a combined 50.03% of the presidential vote share between them, the UNP is now courting groups that have split from the SLPP. UNP chair Vajira Abeywardena announced plans to contest most districts under the gas cylinder symbol.

(With inputs from agencies.)