United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader, Minister Sajith Premadasa said he will contest the next Presidential elections with the support
of UNP leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
This statement was made by Premadasa at a massive public rally held in Kurunegala last evening. The event was attended by many government ministers, MPs, party organizers and the party’s representatives in provincial
as well as local government bodies.
The UNP Deputy Leader further noted that his hands were clean as he was not involved in corruption or any criminal activity.
“I don’t have blood in my hands. I don’t have any corrupt or criminal activities in my hands,” Premadasa charged.
He said that false allegations are being made against him and yet he was not shaken.
Premadasa further added that the more allegations are made against him the more determined he becomes to do more for the people.
The Kurunegala rally is the third such event organised by the UNP to support Premadasa’s candidacy at the next presidential election. Rallies were earlier held in Badulla and
Matara.
However, the UNP is yet to decide on its Presidential candidate and both Wickremesinghe and Jayasuriya are among the contenders apart from Premadasa.
What the survey says!
While speculation is still rife about the presidential candidate selection of UNP, the Party is silent on a survey they have conducted which says it all.
It has become clear why we see strong support within the Party for its Minister Sajith Premadasa to be nominated as the Presidential candidate for the 2019 Election. Per the survey, if there is one candidate who can take UNP to victory against the strong Rajapaksa base, it is its Deputy Leader, Minister Sajith Premadasa.
The survey indicates around 43% of the votes for UNP, if Sajith Premadasa is nominated as its Presidential candidate as opposed to only 17% of the votes if PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is nominated and a paltry 13% of the votes if Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is nominated as the candidate.
While nobody from the Party was available to comment, the survey is a clear indication that, with only few months left for the election, the only way UNP stands any chance to win this election is by nominating Sajith.
The survey also indicates that the feet on street approach of Sajith Premadasa on development activities has made him popular not just amongst the lower middle class but also amongst the youth and women who are fed up of the scams and corruption in the country. Per the survey, neither Rajapaksa or Ranil Wickremesinghe have scored well on any of these fronts. On the index of corruption alone, Sajith Premadasa’s clean image has helped him score 56%.
If the UNP does not act fast on its decision, it may very well give the victory in a platter to its opponent.
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