The Sri Lanka Freedom Party parliamentary group last night decided to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and ask him to step down from the post before the vote on the no-confidence motion against him. 

SLFP State Minister Dilan Perera said 42 MPs representing the party met last night for a special meeting, under the auspices of President Maithripala Sirisena. 

Perera also added that the decision to make a final request from the Prime Minister was unanimous. 

However, party sources said, if the Prime Minister did not step down from office before the vote, the SLFP would sit in the opposition.