Colombo (LNW): MP Patali Champika Karanawaka during a discussion with representatives of the ‘Nidahasa Janatha Sabha’ recently asserted that he is President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s “preferred choice” for the upcoming presidential election, sources said.
Born in 1965, Acchige Patali Champika Ranawaka is an electrical engineer and a graduate of the University of Moratuwa. He entered Parliament in 2007 through the national list and subsequently held ministerial positions, including Minister of Power and Energy, Technology and Research, and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime in 2010.
In 2015, Ranawaka served as the Minister of Power and Energy in the Good Governance Government and later as the Minister of Metropolitan and Western Provincial Development.
Known for his efficiency, Ranawaka earned high approval from Wickremesinghe, who was the Prime Minister at the time.
Having led various parties and organisations, including the ‘Jathika Hela Urumaya,’ Ranawaka currently serves as the leader of the United Republic Front (Eksath Janaraja Peramuna).
There is a noticeable social media campaign by Ranawaka’s followers on Facebook, suggesting that Wickremesinghe will not run for the presidential election, and Ranawaka emerges as a strong candidate from the right-wing camp against the left-wing camp led by the National Peoples Power (NPP).
