Sri lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena is reported to have refused to allow his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the forthcoming general elections on an SLFP ticket, Ada Derana quotes political sources in Colombo.
Mr Rajapaksa had announced on Wednesday amidst huge fanfare that he would contest the elections in August, without specifying which party he would run for.
The DailyMirror reported that pressure to refuse Mr Rajapaksa's nomination was exerted by senior SLFP figures, including former president Chandrika Kumaratunga.
If confirmed, the refusal to nominate the former president through the SLFP, may pave the way for a split in the SLFP, which is currently divided between Sirisena and Rajapaksa supporters.