Sajith Premadasa Denies Alliance Rumors

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Opposition Leader, has stated that his party has no intention of forming political alliances.

Premadasa made this statement while addressing local government candidates in the Kurunegala District.

"Some news headlines claim that I, along with others, are discussing forming alliances. If we are discussing alliances, will we be contesting under the symbol of the telephone? Our opponents are afraid because, for the first time, the SJB is contesting a local government election, and thousands of our members are becoming the largest force at the grassroots level across the country. There are rumors that Sajith, Mahinda, and Ranil are all joining forces. These are baseless lies. We have no intention of joining forces with anyone. We firmly believe that the SJB will achieve an outstanding victory in the upcoming local government elections," said the Opposition Leader.

Despite Premadasa's assertion, the General Secretary of the SJB, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, has recently indicated that discussions are ongoing regarding a potential alliance between the SJB and the United National Party (UNP).

On February 16, 2025, Madduma Bandara mentioned that the two parties are engaged in discussions to resolve minor issues and that it may take some time to reach a conclusion.

When asked on March 13, 2025, about the possibility of joining forces with the UNP led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, Madduma Bandara confirmed that several rounds of discussions had taken place. 

He stated that the decision was made to contest separately but to establish local government institutions together.