Contrary to expectations, the left party alliance has managed to secure only three seats at the recently concluded parliamentary election. The LSSP and CP fielded six and five candidates, respectively and supported the candidature of Vasudeva Nanayakkara in Ratnapura and Ranjith Navaratne in Kurunegala.

CP General Secretary Dew Gunasekera acknowledged that the results disappointed them. He told The Island that the left party alliance could have done better if there was a level playing field. He asserted that a special commission was necessary to investigate how some candidates had obtained funds for their campaigns.

CP nominee, Ranjith Gajadeera (Matara) and LSSP contender Pathmasiri (Kegalle) were elected at the 2010 General Election. Gunasekera said that they had campaigned for Vasudeva Nanayakkara, though he was not a member of the CP or LSSP. The LSSP and CP will receive one national list slot each.

The left party alliance was not alone in this predicament. All constituent partners of the SLFP-led coalition, including the National Freedom Front (NFF), the CWC, the MEP, the JHU, Upcountry People’s Front and the Sri Lanka National Congress lost ground, though the SLFP gained in almost every electoral district. The Sri Lanka National Congress and the Upcountry People’s Front were wiped out in the election, whereas the NFF managed just two seats after fielding 15 candidates.

Sources said that the NFF was the biggest loser as it had been reduced to just two members, including its leader Wimal Weerawansa, who at the sixth parliament commanded almost a dozen MPs.