The United National Party (UNP) today said that banners and cutouts of Maithripala Sirisena - which are being displayed on the main roads of Matara – had nothing to with the campaign of the common candidate.

“It has now been revealed that they were not put out by the common candidate’s election campaign committee,” a spokesperson of the common opposition told Asian Mirror.

The UNP spokesperson claimed that these cutouts were intentionally displayed by the ruling party to discredit the common candidate’s election campaign, which was officially launched as a campaign without cutouts and polythene.

Addressing a press conference after the launch of his election campaign on November 30, common candidate Maithripala Sirisena said he would launch an eco-friendly election campaign by not encouraging the use of polythene, posters and cutouts. He added that the funds he would receive for posters, cut-outs and banners would be channelled into a special fund.

The special fund, according to Sirisena, will assist the kidney patients and their family members in fulfilling their financial needs pertaining to surgeries and treatments. Most of the kidney patients in the province are from families that are already burdened with financial issues.