Two schools of thought are prevailing among Parliamentarians of the UNP as to who should be the presidential candidate of the party at forthcoming polls.

Names of UNP Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga have been proposed as potential presidential candidates of the UNP. Their names have been proposed in a context where the opposition leader has given his consent to make way for a common candidate presented by the main opposition party.

Although the G-20 group of the United National Party held a discussion yesterday evening to arrive at a final decision on the matter, the meeting ended without any substantial outcome. However, Jayasuriya holds an edge over the former President as some key members of the party have strictly opposed the idea of fielding Bandaranaike as the party’s presidential candidate.

Multiple sources confirmed Asian Mirror that several leading Buddhist monks have pledged to issue a statement on behalf of Jayasuriya, justifying his decision to cross over to the government in 2007, at the height of war. A UNP spokesperson said that Jayasuriya’s ability to draw the support from the Bhikkhu community of the country comes as a major advantage for him at the presidential polls.

Meanwhile, it is reported that former President Kumaratunga and Athuraliye Rathana Thera too have agreed to consider the possibility of supporting Jayasuriya’s candidature, if the UNP announces him as the runner!

However, former Chairman of the UNP and a close associate of party leader Wickremesinghe, Malik Samarawickrama and several others are still supporting the idea that former President Kumaratunga should contest the forthcoming election as the common candidate supported by the United National Party.