Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake yesterday said in a meeting that whether Maithripala Sirisena wins or loses the forthcoming presidential election, he is ultimately the loser.

Ekanayake said that Sirisena is likely to lose the election by a fair margin but even if he wins by some chance, he shall have to abolish the executive presidency and hand over the premiership to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Therefore, Sirisena will lose either way, Ekanayake added.

He made these comments in the backdrop of possible changes in his Provincial Council with some sources citing Central Province as one of the provinces where power will shift to the opposition. ‘The Nation’ newspaper today reported that there could be enough defections in Central, Uva and Western Provincial Councils to hand over the power to the opposition.

The UPFA won 36 seats (including the 2 bonus seats) out of a total of 58 seats in the 2013 Central Provincial Council Election.