Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is expected to announce his decision on the controversy on the Opposition Leader position in parliament on Tuesday.

Badulla District UPFA MP Nimal Siripala de Silva was appointed as Opposition Leader after the victory of Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 Presidential Election. However, his eligibility was questioned by several political parties after SLFP joined the government on March 22.

Democratic Left Front leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara recently announced that he and several other MPs will propose the name of Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader Dinesh Gunawardena as opposition leader. National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa later told media that 58 MPs have pledged their support for Gunawardena.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Rajitha Senaratne recently told media that no UPFA MP is entitled to hold the position. In his opinion, only TNA or JVP is entitled to the opposition leader post.

However, some UPFA MPs including Nanayakkara, Weerawansa and Gunawardena are sitting in opposition independently after the 2015 Presidential Election.

Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan recently claimed the opposition leader post for his party, stressing that TNA was the biggest opposition group in parliament, after SLFP accepted ministerial portfolios.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa recently stated that the Speaker will give his decision on the controversy regarding the opposition leader on April 7.