UNP will contest under elephant symbol – Ravi

Ranil Wickremasinghe with Ravi Karunanayake

The United National Party (UNP) would contest the upcoming Parliamentary Elections under its elephant symbol, UNP Assistant Leader MP Ravi Karunanayake said.

Speaking at a media briefing today he said more than 75 per cent Parliamentarians were with the UNP and there was no issue with winning the election.

“A Nominations Board would be appointed after the dissolution of Parliament. There are people in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) who would cross over near the election. We will consider them after the nominations are presented,” he said.

“The Working Committee will decide over the UNPers who stand against the party and forming a new party. The Working Committee had informed MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara to discuss with UNP Assistant Leader on the symbol issue and to sort out the matter,” he said.

The UNP leader had said at the Working Committee meeting to amend the UNP Constitution and present it to the Working Committee according to party policies.

“That constitution should be passed at the Working Committee and to work on after that. The new constitution was not presented to the Working Committee last night (1) and that was not the responsibility of the UNP leader. That had been ordered to be done for the group comprising MPs Sajith Premadasa and Ranjith Madduma Bandara,” he said.

“It is the UNP members who drag the party backwards,” Minister Katunayake added.

(Source: Daily Mirror – By Chaturanga Samarawickrama)