Multiple sources from the government and the opposition confirmed Asian Mirror on Thursday that Health Minister and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena has consolidated his position as the common candidate of the opposition.

Political sources added that Sirisena, who is one of the senior-most members of the ruling party, is likely to make a drastic move on Friday.

The UNP Working Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday evening at the party headquarters and an important decision is likely to be made following the meeting.

All efforts of the ruling party to retain its General Secretary have not produced desired results. On Friday evening, Sirisena informed his “contacts” in the main opposition camp that his crossover was certain.

“There are some in the UNP who still greet the news of Maithripala’s crossover with a modicum of suspicion. But many believe it is just a matter of time. He will certainly crossover to the opposition within the next few days unless there is a last minute change. Many opposition Parliamentarians consider him as a potential common candidate of the opposition vis-à-vis the candidature of President Mahinda Rajapaksa,” a senior Parliamentarian of the United National Party told Asian Mirror on Thursday night.

According to him, Minister Sirisena and his supporters, nearly around 15 ruling party Parliamentarians, will act as a breakaway group of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, without joining the UNP. He also added that several other political parties of the opposition too have expressed willingness to enter into an agreement with Minister Sirisena.

As exclusively reported by Asian Mirror yesterday, Sirisena was offered the post of Prime Minister yesterday as a last minute attempt to prevent him from joining the opposition. However, Sirisena declined to accept the government’s offer.

All our efforts to contact Minister Sirisena on Thursday, did not bear fruit.