Highly placed political sources told Asian Mirror this evening that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, an ally of the UPFA government, was likely to join the common opposition.

Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, was scheduled to meet opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for a crucial meeting,  this evening (02).

It was also rumoured that Hakeem had a separate discussion with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the matter and the meeting ended on a positive note. However, no spokesperson from the SLMC confirmed any meeting with the former President.

The SLMC Leader was expected to convene a meeting of the party High Command, the top decision making body of the SLMC, following the meeting with the opposition leader.

An SLMC delegation, led by Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem , met President Mahinda Rajapaksa two weeks ago, to discuss the key issues pertaining to Muslims. When asked about the meeting, SLMC Spokesman N. Kariyappar told Asian Mirror that nothing was discussed on the party's support to any party at the presidential election. "The meeting was aimed at finding solutions to some unresolved problems faced by the Muslim community of Sri Lanka," Kariyappar said.

However, political sources added that the SLMC was closely monitoring the moves of Minister Rishad Bathiudeen's party at the presidential election. Although Amir Ali, a member of the Eastern Provincial Council representing the ACMC was appointed to Parliament from the UPFA national list, he has not yet accepted the offer. Therefore, ACMC support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election still hangs in the balance.