Taking a swipe at the National People's Power (NPP), Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara stated on the 22nd that efforts are underway to appoint the most qualified candidates to the party's National List. He emphasized that the SJB's National List has been carefully prepared with consideration of all relevant criteria.

Maddumabandara made these comments during the SJB’s daily media briefing in Colombo. He also noted that, so far, he is the only National List MP nominated by the party out of the five seats it secured in the 2024 General Election, with the remaining nominations yet to be finalized.

“Samagi Jana Balawegaya is working to elect National List MPs in a way that prevents any crisis. Authoritarian parties may propose names for the National List MPs within a short period of time, but a democratic party operates differently. Decisions are made after discussions with all members,” he explained.

Maddumabandara suggested that SJB members like Hirunika Premachandra and Sujeewa Senasinghe would be suitable candidates for the National List slots. However, he clarified that the final decision will be made through consensus with all parties in the alliance.