Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said although Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had won the No-confidence motion, the UNP, as a party, has lost the 'battle'. 

Rajapaksa made this remark while addressing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna May Day rally in Galle yesterday. 

"Ranjith Aluvihare claims that the UNP will be wiped out at the next election. There are so many internal issues within the party," Rajapaksa said, commenting on one if his main rival parties, the UNP. 

"They are afraid to go for elections. Today, the Provincial Council elections have been postponed. Some provincial councils were dissolved over an year ago," the former President said. 

"It doesn't matter if they don't want to hold Provincial Council elections. Hold a General Election. That's our challenge," he stressed. 

Rajapaksa said his party would start mobilizing people demanding a Parliamentary election, if the ruling party kept postponing elections.