The recently concluded general election was not free and fair, the National Organisations Collective said.

Its member Gevindu Kumaratunga said that there were newspaper reports on front pages saying that Mahinda Rajapaksa will not be appointed Prime Minister even if the UPFA won the election.

Even the Elections Commissioner did not have time to respond to this since it happened on the verge of the election, Kumaratunga said.

Despite this situation, a strong opposition has been formed in parliament, he argued.

A petition was filed with the Court of Appeal yesterday by Southern Provincial Council Member H. A. Piyasena challenging the termination of his membership from the UPFA.

The petitioner named the former UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, Southern Provincial Council Secretary K. L. Dayaratne and Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya as respondents.

Piyasena said that he contested the August 17 General Election as an independent candidate. His party membership was terminated on this ground, the petitioner said further.

The petitioner also said that it was illegal to remove him from the party without filing a charge sheet or conducting a disciplinary inquiry.

Former MP from Ratnapura District, Ranjith de Zoysa, said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot refuse to be the opposition leader of the new parliament.

Speaking to Asian Mirror a short while ago, Zoysa said that Rajapaksa's supporters will make him change his mind, even if he refuses to be opposition leader.

Rajapaksa told media recently that he will be a backbencher in the new parliament.

Furthermore, Zoysa said that a minority of the SLFP Central Committee was opposed to the idea of a national government. However, the majority of the CC is now composed of loyalists of President Maithripala Sirisena, he pointed out.

Regardless of the SLFP CC decision, he will oppose a national government and will sit in opposition, Ziysa said.

The newly elected UPFA parliamentarians supporting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa met today at the residence of Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

Leader of the Left Democratic Front Vasudeva Nanayakkara told media that Rajapaksa took part in the meeting.

The Rajapaksa supporters are against the national government, Nanayakkara confirmed to media.

Reports said that around 60 newly elected members took part in the meeting.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party Treasurer S.B. Dissanayake said that those who reject SLFP Central Committee decisions will be expelled from the party.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, he said that the party Central Committee delegated power to the President to decise on joining the national government.

Meanwhile a committee was appointed to prepare a Memorendum of Understanding with those who are joining a national government.

Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga of the UPFA led the preference votes in Gampaha District despite his party's loss in the general election in his district. Ranatunga received preferences, nearly 170,000 more than the leading UNP candidate Ranjan Ramanayake.

Prasanna's brother Arjuna Ranatunga came second under the UNP ticket. Ruwan Ranatunga, a third brother who contested from the UPFA failed to be selected to parliament.

The UNP took Matale District winning 3 seats at the 2015 General Election, while the UPFA was reduced to 2 seats.

The UNP received 138,241 votes while the UPFA won 126,315 votes. Meanwhile the JVP managed to obtain 10,947.

In the 2010 General Election, the UPFA won the Matale District by a landslide, winning 4 out of 5 seats. The UNP was reduced to one seat in 2010.

Matale is the home district of Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who was a staunch ally of Mahinda Rajapaksa duing the election campaign.

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader and UPFA Colombo District candidate Udaya Gammanpila conceded defeat at the General Election a short while ago.

Updating a statement on his official Facebook page, Gammanpila said that the UPFA secured 9 electoral districts against UNP's 11 and TNA's 3.