The SLPP bringing Kanchana to the forefront instead of Namal, and Ranil's subtle maneuvering.

The Rajapaksa family, which represented one of the most powerful political strongholds in the country's politics for decades, has now been forced to set aside their political activities and dedicate their time and effort to legal matters. In particular, although the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had planned to hold a series of massive public rallies across the island once a month, starting from Anuradhapura, the remand of Mr. Namal Rajapaksa severely impacted that program.

With his arrest a few days before the Anuradhapura rally, a serious crisis arose within the party regarding who would lead the rally. However, based on the agreement that a Rajapaksa must be on stage, the party took steps to ensure the participation of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is severely aged, in the rally. But with the circulation of visuals showing him struggling to get onto the stage and sitting with difficulty, the Pohottuwa (SLPP) faced severe criticism from various quarters, and a serious discussion has emerged within the party regarding whether he should be brought to the political stage in the future.

Given Mr. Namal Rajapaksa's continued incarceration and Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa's health condition, several crucial discussions were held last week regarding the location of the Pohottuwa's next meeting, its leadership, and the parties to be invited. In light of this situation, United National Party (UNP) leader Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe had sent a special message to the Pohottuwa through various parties, suggesting that the party's organizational activities should be entrusted to a young and popular deputy leader. For this, he had specifically proposed the name of former Minister Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera. Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera's activism during the two years Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe served as President after Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa's departure has been the main reason for this. Mr. Wickremesinghe was highly impressed by how Mr. Wijesekera, as the then Minister of Power and Energy, worked to end the era of queues by importing ships and introducing a QR system during a severe fuel and electricity crisis in the country, and by importing coal to end power cuts.

Seeing Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera's efficiency, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe had held discussions on several occasions even after his presidential election defeat to bring him into the United National Party and offer him its leadership. However, he did not respond directly, stating that he needed a break from politics for some time. Nevertheless, as soon as Mr. Namal Rajapaksa learned of Mr. Wickremesinghe's political maneuver, he immediately went to Matara and met Mr. Wijesekera. There, he proposed that Mr. Wijesekera rejoin politics as the Pohottuwa's prime ministerial candidate when he (Namal) runs as the presidential candidate in the 2029 presidential election. Although no direct answer was given to this either, Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera, who viewed joining the United National Party as political suicide, preferred to rejoin the Pohottuwa. At that time, he was in a state of severe political indecision.

It has now been confirmed that there is a deep political objective behind Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's attempt to bring Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera forward instead of Mr. Namal Rajapaksa. Mr. Wickremesinghe's main plan is to elevate someone close to him within the Pohottuwa and thereby build an alliance between the United National Party and the Pohottuwa. The failure to invite the United National Party to the Anuradhapura rally was also a factor in this. Mr. Wickremesinghe had planned to get onto that stage, where Mr. Namal Rajapaksa was absent and Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa was struggling, and demonstrate that he was the future leader of the Pohottuwa. That is why he had Mr. Harin Fernando declare that he would participate if invited. However, the Pohottuwa leaders understood this tactic and refrained from inviting them. Instead, they invited only three minor parties to Anuradhapura: Mr. Wimal Weerawansa's National Freedom Front, Mr. Udaya Gammanpila's Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, and Mr. Tiran Alles's Democratic National Party.

Nevertheless, in light of the current complex situation, the Pohottuwa has decided to consider Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's proposal and invite Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera to rejoin the party, and to facilitate him, it has also been decided to hold the next meeting in the Matara district. The party expresses confidence that he will join, even at the last moment. A final decision has not yet been made regarding whether to invite the United National Party to the Matara rally, and the party's stance is that this matter should also be discussed with Mr. Namal Rajapaksa. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who well knows that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya's (SJB) voter base is built around Mr. Sajith Premadasa and thus cannot be won over, is engaged in a subtle operation to capture the floating voter base of the Pohottuwa, which lacks proper leadership, through Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera in this manner.