Elections: Time for Political Skulduggery

• Party- switching galore  
• SJB refuses deputy leader post to Dullas
• NPP, a political coalition led by the JVP has remained steadfast in its policy against accommodating crossovers from other parties
• SJB’s openness is based on a political rationale from their perspective

By Kelum Bandara  

With the elections looming on the horizon, the political landscape is witnessing strategic moves and party-switching among politicians, marking a season of political skulduggery.  
 In this case, some politicians, uncertain about re-election representing the parties they currently represent, are making headlines by crossing party lines to carve out electoral standings in different setups.  

The National People’s Power (NPP), a political coalition led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has remained steadfast in its policy against accommodating crossovers from other parties.  

Contrastingly, the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) emerges as a primary recipient of members defecting from other parties, seeking platforms to raise their electoral prospects. The SJB’s openness is based on a political rationale from their perspective.  

For it, embracing political defectors appears to be a strategic move aimed at expanding its support base and fortifying its position ahead of the elections.  

Politicians often justify such party-switching as aligning with policy interests whereas the actual reason is in the personal interests - the quest for re-election. These politicians calculate how they can get reelected when their party loses standing among voters ahead of elections. Recently, one time Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) stalwart Shan Wijeyalal de Silva joined the SJB as the best platform which he sees. He was followed by SLFP member Dayashritha Thisera.  

The group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs who defected from the government under the leadership of MP Dullas Alahapperuma has found it challenging to emerge as a separate political entity at the next election. Its members such as MPs Prof. G.L Peiris and Dilan Perera got wind of the impending scenario and threw their weight behind the SJB well in advance.  

In the formation of the political alliance, Mr. Alahapperuma is reported to have sought the deputy leader post whereas the SJB declined to offer it. The party is reported to have cited that it’s difficult to offer it to a newcomer disregarding party seniors like Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Lakshman Kiriella.   

The SLPP group led by MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa is fully identified with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. In the time of political skulduggery, there will be defections from the SJB too.   

As voters navigate this complex political landscape, staying informed about party ideologies, individual track records, and the dynamics of these strategic moves becomes crucial. That is because politicians craft narratives to explain their tactical decisions in the lead-up to the polls.