In the wake of a debilitaing defeat at the recently concluded presidential polls, an influential section in the Opposition is now pushing for a joint alliance to contest the forthcoming parliamentary polls.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will not join the proposed alliance, though all other parties, including the JVP which supported Opposition presidential candidate General (retired) Sarath Fonseka, are expected to join the new alliance.

Political sources said that the SLMC and Mano Ganeshan, MP, too, were supportive of the move. Responding to our queries, sources said that those who supported the move were of the opinion that an alliance would prevent a split in the 4,173,185 votes obtained by Fonseka at the presidential poll. Sources said that if the UNP-led United National Front, which comprises the SLMC and Mano Ganeshan’s party, contested the forthcoming parliamentary polls separately leaving the JVP to fight it alone, the Opposition vote would be divided.

Sources said that MPs elected on the TNA ticket would throw their weight behind the Opposition.

Sources dismissed speculation that the UNP would not contest the general election unless the government established independent commissions ahead of the parliamentary polls.

In the run-up to the presidential polls, both the UNP and JVP emphasised that they would contest the parliamentary polls on their own.

The UNP leadership was agreeable to the move on the basis of the proposed alliance contesting the general election on the UNF ticket, sources said. At a hurriedly summoned meeting on Sunday (Jan 31), chaired by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP District leaders decided that their symbol would be the Elephant and the colour Green. Sources said that the UNP would not compromise either the elephant symbol or their colour at the parliamentary polls, though Wickremesinghe had sacrificed both at the presidential polls to facilitate a coming together of the UNP and the JVP to back Fonseka. Sources said that the UNP leader would lead the campaign as the prime ministerial candidate of the coalition.

The UNP is confident that a UNP-led campaign would ensure that the party could retain its block vote and poll a substantial number of floating votes, though it could not prevent a UPFA victory at the forthcoming parliamentary polls.

Sources said that the JVP was not agreeable to the UNP move for obvious reasons. The JVP could not contest on the UNP ticket or accept Wickremesinghe as their prime ministerial candidate. Sources said that Opposition parties were making an attempt to iron out differences between the group seeking a common alliance and those who wanted to field candidates on the UNF ticket.

Sources said that Wickremesinghe was increasingly coming under pressure to give in to the call for a common alliance even at the expense of the UNP. But the Opposition leader had asserted that it would be counterproductive not to contest on the UNP ticket, particularly in the wake of the heavy defeat at the presidential polls, sources said adding that Wickremesinghe’s position had irritated some Opposition heavyweights, who had been campaigning for a common Opposition alliance since last week’s election.

SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena, MP, told the media last week that the government would go all out to win over four million people who had voted for Fonseka. He said now that Fonseka had been defeated, a large chunk of Opposition voters would switch their allegiance to the ruling coalition.