General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) Tissa Attanayake, MP, tended his letter of resignation to party leader Ranil Wickramaginghe, this morning. Attanayake has stepped down from the General Secretary post and all the other positions he held in the party.

Attanayake will assist President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming Presidential election in next year January, and a source close to the government added that Attanayake will participate for a press conference to announce his decision on this regard, this afternoon.

While addressing media at the Election Department after submission of nominations, President Rajapaksa also said “We got their General Secretary and more opposition Parliamentarians are expected to cross,”

In a previous occasion, General Secretary of the ruling party United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) defected and announced he will contest President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming election. Thus far, five cabinet Ministers have defected to the opposition in a bid to support the Common Candidate.

Nineteen candidates including President Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena submitted nomination at the Department of Election for the January election at the Department of Elections in Rajagiriya, this morning.

Meanwhile, the source added that former General Secretary of the UNP will likely to be appointed as the Health Minister, which was the Ministry headed by the defected ex-General secretary of the UPFA.