President Maithripala Sirisena instructed the UPFA to form a new political coalition with leftist and progressive political parties, UPFA MP S.B. Dissanayake said. 

Dissanayake made this remark while speaking to the media after the executive committee meeting of the UPFA. 

Dissanayake, however, did not specify the political parties the UPFA will seek to form an alliance with. 

It is also not clear whether the Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) will be approached to become a member of the alliance. 

The moves comes in the wake of the UNP's decision to form a new political front that will bring to together all its allies. 

The UNP Working Committee, on Friday, sanctioned the process of forming a new alliance, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.