The main opposition UNP led United National Front (UNF) alliance is facing further defections.
Among those tipped to pole-vault is Sri Ranga Jayaratnam, the former MTV personality who contested on the UPF ticket. Sri Ranga, who led a newly registered political party named Purawesi Peramuna (Citizens Front), fell out with the crisis hit UNP leadership over the non allocation of a national list seat to his party. Sri Ranga stayed in parliament when the opposition walked out from the House in protest against preventing DNA leader Gen (retired) Fonseka from attending parliament on Wednesday.

Another potential candidate to cross over to the government is the UNP MP for Kandy district Abdul Cader who surprisingly decided to vote with the UPFA in favour of the extension of the State of Emergency. However, when contacted by Lakbima news, he squashed swirling speculation that he had decided to ditch his party.

MP Cader said that he had only taken the decision to cast his vote in favour of the extension of the State of Emergency and that there was nothing more to it.
He insisted that merely voting with the UPFA cannot be construed as either siding with or joining the government, and as of now he has no intention of doing so and that he would remain with the UNP.
When the vote on the extension of the State of Emergency by a month took place, only three UNP MPs had remained in the legislature, one of whom was Abdul Cader.
Speculation was also rife, in the political circles that the UNP had decided to call for explanation from MP Cader over his decision to vote with the government.