Susanthika Jayasinghe, the top Sri Lankan sprint queen who won the silver medal in 200m women's at the Sydney Olympics confirmed herself to be contesting for the upcoming Sri Lanka General Election 2010. This is the second Sri Lankan sports personnel who confirmed entering politics in this election. Earlier, star cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya informed that he is going to contest the Parliamentary Election from UPFA list of his home town Matara. Susanthika Jayasinghe, following the same foot steps as Sanath, will contest the upcoming Sri Lanka General Election from the Kegall District where her home village is located.


Political analysts says, this will add momentum to the UPFA campaign in the upcoming election, as none of the prominent celebrity figures are coming forward this time to contest from the opposition nominations.


Contesting celebrities in election is a culture groomed by the UNP in Sri Lanka. SLFP on the other hand has remained critical of this practice. We have seen in the past, mega stars like Gamini Fonseka, Sanath Gunatilake, Sanath Nandasiri, Ravindra Randeniya, Rosy Senanayake, Ranjan Ramanayake entering politics from the UNP. JVP too contested some of the artists in past elections. But this time around, the artists and sports stars seems to be gathering around UPFA, whom earlier used to criticized the UNP's practice of contesting celebrities for elections.

By KRISHAN FRANCIS (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The main partner in Sri Lanka's grand opposition coalition will contest the next election independently, coalition officials said Monday, the first split since its defeated presidential candidate was arrested on sedition charges.
United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told reporters Sunday that his party had decided to go it alone but also empowered him to summon its executive committee to consider alternatives.
Another opposition official, Mano Ganeshan, told The Associated Press on Monday that the party's consideration of alternatives is the "only silver lining," because otherwise the opposition would have no chance to counter the president's control of parliament.
"I believe that the grand alliance that took shape during the presidential election is falling apart due to the very rigid position taken by the UNP," Ganeshan said. "I am afraid it may not continue."
In the presidential vote last month, a motley crew of liberals, ultra-nationalist Marxists and former Tamil separatists fielded former army chief Sarath Fonseka, who had been a close ally of the president until a falling-out after the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels ended last year.
After President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured his landslide victory, the military arrested Fonseka on unspecified sedition charges. No formal charges have been filed, and the opposition has described Fonseka's arrest as revenge for daring to challenge Rajapaksa.
Opposition officials and rights groups say that since Rajapaksa's re-election the government has started retribution against political opponents, harassing, attacking and arresting some.
Shortly after the poll, Rajapaksa dissolved the parliament, setting the stage for April 8 general elections, where the ruling coalition hopes to deepen its grip on power.
The Tamil National Alliance, the largest party for ethnic Tamils, also is splitting from the coalition to contest the election independently.
But another partner, the Marxist People's Liberation Front, said it wants to keep the coalition intact and keep Fonseka as its figurehead in their contest for parliament seats.

Sri Lanka's #1 online newspaper Daily Mirror today reported that Sanath Jayasuriya is officially invited by ruling UPFA (United People's Freedom Alliance) to contest their nomination list for Matara District, in the upcoming Sri Lanka General Election 2010.

Sanath Jayasuriya, who's home town is Matara is a prominent social figure in the small down south urban community. It is said that what Sanath Jayasuriya means for people of Matara is somewhat simmilar to what Sachin Tendulkar is for Mumbai, and what Brian Lara is for Trinidad. There are occassions on which people of Matara switching off their TV's onece Sanath Jayasuriya get out early in cricket matches.

If Sanath contest the nomination from Matara district, that will boost the strengths for UPFA in that district, who have recorded 4th highest majority votes in the recently concluded presidential election.