Former Governor of the Sabaragamuwa Province and key United National Party (UNP) stalwart Navin Dissanayake has decided not to contest the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary Election.
Taking to ‘X’, Dissanayake said the decision has been taken due to a conflict arising over the UNP’s symbol being chosen as a ‘gas cylinder’ instead of the party symbol ‘elephant’.
“As argued by me in the working committee of the UNP on 01.10.2024 true UNP’rs stand to lose out if we contest on the gas cylinder symbol as Ex-President Ranil Wickramasinghe’s vote of 2.2 million largely included UNP and floating votes. The pohotuwa vote was a minority,” he pointed out.
Stating that he has contested four General Elections since 2000 and has emerged victorious, Navin Dissanayake said he will continue to work for the right-of-centre policies of the UNP, as he believes true economic and social prosperity can be achieved by these policies.
“I will not be associated with corruption or corrupt individuals and continue to work in the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation, the Sri-lanka Cricket Foundation and the Mahaweli Cultural Trust. I will also do my utmost for social and legal injustice through my work as a lawyer. Good luck to all candidates who are contesting and I hope the result will be beneficial to our motherland,” he added. (Newswire)
