Colombo (News 1st): Two parliamentary seats of the UPFA have been left vacant. The two seats were left vacant by the demise of Kurunegala District MP Salinda Dissanayake and the resignation of Kurunegala District MP Shantha Bandara.

Shantha Bandara is the candidate who is next on the list of candidates who won the highest number of votes in the Kurunegala District after Salinda Dissanayake. However, Shantha Bandara who is already holding a national list seat in parliament resigned from his position in hopes of being reappointed to the parliamentary seat of the UPFA left vacant by the demise of Kurunegala District MP Salinda Dissanayake

Former MP Shantha Bandara noted that the party informed him to resign from the position that he was appointed to by the party because he has now fulfilled the criteria required to be appointed to parliament as a member elected by the people. He said that any objections cannot be justified and if any injustice takes place he hoped to take the matter to court.

Speaking about the matter SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara noted that the decision will be taken today by the officer in charge of appointments. He said the officer will name them and then send the list to the elections commissioner for it to be gazetted.

When questions were raised he noted that they have not nominated a person for the national list seat as of yet. Journalists also questioned if rumors on naming Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge is true. He noted that according to the law of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga cannot be appointed as a national list MP.

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