Mano, Nizam, Sujeewa and Ismail secure SJB national list slots

Friday, 13 December 2024 04:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has finalised its nominations for the remaining four National List MP seats in Parliament. The nominees are Mano Ganesan, Nizam Kariapper, Sujeewa Senasinghe, and Mohamed Ismail.

This announcement follows weeks of deliberation after the SJB secured five National List MP seats as bonus seats in the General Election held on 14 November. One of these seats was filled on 19 November by SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara. However, the nomination process has been overshadowed by a legal dispute. The Colombo District Court issued an enjoining order earlier yesterday, preventing the SJB from submitting its National List nominees to the Election Commission without including the name of Nizam Kariapper, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).

This order was made in response to a plaint filed by SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem, who named SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara as the defendant. Hakeem argued that Kariapper’s inclusion was mandatory under prior agreements, leading the court to intervene.

The SJB’s finalisation of its nominees appears to align with the court’s directive, but the legal proceedings highlight underlying tensions within the opposition bloc.