The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is reportedly in full swing, preparing to contest the Provincial Council Elections scheduled for 2026, according to Infosrilanka.lk.
The party has decided to field strong district-level teams, in some cases naming Chief Ministerial candidates, and in others opting for powerful district leaders without a Chief Ministerial nominee.
Three incumbent Members of Parliament are reportedly ready to resign from their parliamentary seats to contest as Chief Ministerial candidates for the three Provincial Councils: Central, Sabaragamuwa, and North Central. MP Sujeewa Senasinghe (Attorney-at-Law) is slated for the Central Province, MP Hesha Withanage for Sabaragamuwa Province, and MP Suranga Ratnayake for the North Central Province.
Discussions are also underway within the party regarding the nomination of United National Party Deputy Leader Akila Viraj Kariyawasam (Attorney-at-Law) as the SJB’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the North Western Provincial Council. Attention is also being given to MP Nalin Bandara as a potential Chief Ministerial candidate for the same province.
For the Western and Southern Provincial Councils, the SJB is focusing on naming district leaders rather than Chief Ministerial candidates. A group of young individuals who strongly represent the party in the media has been proposed as district leaders. These include Hirunika Premachandra for Colombo District, Varuna Rajapaksha for Gampaha District, and Charitha Abeysinghe for Kalutara District.
In the Southern Provincial Council, Buddhika Pathirana has been proposed for Matara District, Tharaka Nanayakkara (Attorney-at-Law) for Galle District, and Dr. Upul Galappaththi for Hambantota.
For the Uva Provincial Council, there are suggestions to either field MP Chaminda Wijesiri as the Chief Ministerial candidate or to present teams under strong district leaders. However, a final decision has not yet been made.
Many prominent SJB members reportedly believe that the era of “importing” named individuals for political campaigns is over, a lesson they believe the party should have learned from its defeat in the Colombo Municipal Council election. They advocate for a new generation of young leaders to spearhead the Provincial Council battle.
