Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Sajith Premadasa, expressed confidence in the party's ability to secure a parliamentary majority, stating that there are no issues in working with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Premadasa said that the SJB has assembled a strong team with a clear vision for the country’s development, positioning it as the most suitable choice for leadership in the current political landscape.

“Some question whether it is okay to give a parliamentary majority to a party when the President comes from another party. I think there is no problem with that, because we, the SJB, don’t have any issues working with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” Premadasa added.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa said if he had been elected as President, he would have renegotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and taken steps to reduce the tax burden on the people. He questioned the Government as to why it has been unable to reduce taxes following discussions with the IMF.

Addressing a meeting with SJB members and activists in the Awissawella electorate, Premadasa stated that the people expected the Government to engage with the IMF and take steps to reduce the indirect tax burden on them. However, the Government has yet to fulfill this promise, and the taxes remain the same. The Government also claims it would continue the IMF programme without amendments, forgetting their own election promises, Premadasa asserted.

Speaking further, Premadasa said he would like to know what happened during the discussions between the new Government and the IMF, as well as the Government’s plans to reduce taxes.

“If I had been elected as President, I would have renegotiated with the IMF. Now, if we win the General Election, we can do that under an SJB Government because this Government would not do that, even though they promised,” he said.

Former MP Hirunika Premachandra, who recently announced her resignation from the position of National Organizer of the Samagi Wanitha Balawegaya, the women’s wing of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), stated that the decision was made to allow her to focus on the upcoming general election, in which she is also a candidate.

Speaking at the SJB’s daily media briefing on 16 October, alongside SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara, she explained,

"I decided to step down from my position at the Samagi Wanitha Balawegaya, not because I wanted to cause any discomfort to SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa or General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara. During the presidential election, I traveled across the country to attend numerous meetings, which limited my ability to concentrate on political activities in the Kaduwela electorate. Since I am contesting in the general election, I need to prioritize political activities in my constituency.

The responsibilities of the women’s wing are typically rotated among different individuals each year, so I felt it was appropriate to step down and allow someone else to take on the role."

She added that although Maddumabandara was initially reluctant to accept her resignation, she remained firm in her decision. After discussions, the SJB Leader offered a solution that addressed her concerns, leading her to speak at the press conference.

Premachandra further emphasized that she has no intention of causing any issues within the party. "We all trust Sajith Premadasa. We did our best to elect him as President, but unfortunately, we were not successful. Our focus now is on the general election, and we aim to win as many seats as possible. I will do everything I can to achieve that goal," she added,

Popular actress Damitha Abeyrathne today (16) said she is considering resigning from politics due to the disappointment of the fiasco she faced regarding nominations from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

“I didn’t want to resign. I wanted to embark on a long journey in mainstream politics. The nomination board approved my candidacy and even contradicted me for that. But they conspired against me, so I have to resign.”

Abeyrathne was hopeful of receiving nominations under the SJB ticket for the Ratnapura District. She actively participated in election propaganda campaigns for the party, and her candidacy had been confirmed. However, the SJB removed her name from the nomination list at the last moment without informing her. She found out about it when she went to the Ratnapura District Secretariat to submit her nomination.

SJB Ratnapura District Team Leader Hesha Withanage later stated that although Abeyrathne worked hard on the district election campaigns, the party did not want to "import" candidates from other districts to contest in the general election.

Speaking to the media today (16), visibly upset Abeyrathne expressed her suspicion that Hesha Withanage was behind the "conspiracy" against her, as he might have thought that he could not secure a position at the top of the preferential vote list in the district because of her.

“I think he was scared that I would surpass his number of votes in the election. SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa also confirmed my candidacy. This is not democracy; this is totally unacceptable. If I was not getting the nominations, they could have informed me beforehand. It was as simple as that. But they didn’t inform me. This violates the rights of a common person. Hesha Withanage invited me, saying that since Thalatha Atukorale is no longer in the party or the district, I could fill her place,” she said.

“The SJB could have won easily in the upcoming election. But owing to the unprofessionalism and ungratefulness of them, now the victory is not even close. I saw that SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara said that my nomination issue was caused by a miscommunication. That is a joke. I urge Maddumabandara not to make such irresponsible statements,” Abeyrathne added.