Former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake has been approached by the Movement for a Just Society, led by Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, to be the common candidate of the opposition at the next presidential election.

Several other political parties of the opposition too have requested Bandaranayake to contest the forthcoming presidential election as the common candidate with the sole purpose of abolishing Executive Presidency.

Bandaranayake, according to highly placed political sources, has been approached to contest the election as a third candidate, alongside President Rajapaksa and opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe.

Meanwhile, a group of UNP parliamentarians have now embarked on a mission to work out an agreement between Sobhitha Thera and opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. However, a serious question exists as to whether Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera will extend his support to Wickremasinghe if the latter becomes the presidential candidate of the United National Party.

Giving a new twist to this development, Wickremasinghe had indicated to his close associates that he was willing to make way for a common candidate of the opposition, if there was a suitable personality.

Sources from the UNP headquarters told Asian Mirror that the party is still indecisive on who should be the presidential candidate of the UNP at the forthcoming election.