- Note that the image above was created by AI.
A storm is brewing within the opposition as deep-seated tensions between UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa threaten to hand over control of the Colombo Municipal Council to the National People’s Power (NPP) widely known as “the Compass.”
Despite securing a majority of seats combined, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and United National Party (UNP) are locked in a political standoff. According to sources, SJB leadership is refusing to align with the UNP and SLPP to form the council’s ruling coalition fearing such a move could trigger demands for broader alliances in upcoming national elections.
This internal conflict has now left the opposition fractured and vulnerable, paving the way for the NPP which secured 48 council seats to capitalize on the disarray. Minister Dr. Nalin de Jayatissa recently declared that the NPP will soon form the council, boasting the largest seat count for a single party in the Colombo Municipal Council.
The SJB, with 69 total seats when counting possible coalition support, technically holds the advantage, but unity remains elusive. The UNP, eager to block the NPP, has already expressed willingness to cooperate but the SJB’s hesitation, reportedly rooted in fears of future electoral compromises, is grinding negotiations to a halt.
As political bitterness between Ranil and Sajith spills over into local governance, sources warn the opposition may lose Colombo not due to numbers, but because of ego.
If the deadlock continues, Colombo’s crown may fall uncontested into the hands of the Compass, a result few expected, but many now fear.
