Opposition Alliance in the Making: SLPP, SLFP, and Allies Meet Ranil Wickremesinghe

In a major political move, several key opposition leaders, including representatives from the SLPP, SLFP, PA, Sarwajana Balaya, TPA, and CWC, met with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss forming joint administrations in local government bodies.

MPs Namal Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Duminda Dissanayake, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Udaya Gammanpila, Mano Ganesan, and P. Digambaram were among the attendees, representing various political factions.

The meeting resulted in a mutual agreement in principle to collaborate at the local level, primarily to counter the NPP’s growing influence. UNP representatives, including Harin Fernando, confirmed that another round of discussions is expected to take place soon among party general secretaries.

The legal basis for this alliance stems from provisions that allow parties with the majority of seats in a local council to form joint administrations—even if they ran separately during elections.

In Colombo, some parties and independent groups are still undecided, including Independent Group 5, which has signaled openness to joining the opposition bloc.