The National People’s Power (NPP), which has long vowed to break away from traditional political alliances, is now in talks with several established parties to form administrations in local government (LG) bodies where it lacks a clear majority, political sources confirmed.
The move appears to mark a shift from the party’s previous stance, where it claimed it would align only with independent groups untainted by past allegations of corruption or misgovernance.
Among those contacted by the NPP is MP Mano Ganeshan, who revealed that a party representative had reached out to request support.
“I was contacted by an NPP member seeking backing to form local bodies. I responded that I cannot maintain different standards at national and local levels,” Ganeshan said.
Sarvajana Balaya leader Dilith Jayaweera also claimed to have received overtures from the NPP.
However, he said he rejected any alliance, noting with irony that he has been branded the “antigen kit thief” in past political discourse.
Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, a senior NPP figure, clarified that while the party is not negotiating directly with Jayaweera, it is open to discussions with elected local members of his political group.
“We are not engaging with Jayaweera, but we are speaking to LG members who were elected under his party’s banner,” he said.
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa of the People’s Alliance (PA) stated that although his party is in talks with the United National Party (UNP) and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) at the national level, the NPP has approached elected PA members at the local level.
“We haven’t entered formal negotiations with the NPP, but they have contacted some of our elected LG members,” he claimed.
In Colombo, the NPP is also said to be engaging with smaller parties including the National Peace Alliance and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), led by former MP Prabha Ganeshan, as it attempts to secure control of the Colombo Municipal Council.
The behind-the-scenes manoeuvring has ignited criticism from NPP supporters on social media who say the party is compromising its own principles.
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