Addressing a recent media conference, Hettiarachchi said the bulk of the votes Fonseka polled in the January 26 Presidential election came from UNPers but he had now severed links with the party.

Hettiarachchi, the incumbent Mayor of Gampola, said Fonseka would have collected around 300,000 votes, and the overwhelming part of those votes were from the UNP.

"We feel sorry for Sarath Fonseka. We are aware that the JVP played a trick in this context," he said.

He also criticised the ongoing election campaign in Nawalapitiya.

He said opposition candidates had been deprived of their democratic rights to conduct a free campaign, adding that only UPFA candidates could engage in election propaganda work.

He alleged that thuggery and terror had been rampant in the electorate, targeting opposition political parties.

Hettiarachchi claimed that UNP supporters had been beaten up, injured and chased away. Police have refused to entertain their complaints, he added and sought President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s intervention to resolve this situation.

He said three Muslims were contesting the Kandy district under the UNP banner and they were to share the 150,000 Muslim votes. He said he had a high regard for former Minister Abdul Cader, one of the candidates.

He said he would never desert the UNP.

His party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was one of the most efficient and intelligent political leaders in the country, he said.