Samagi Jana Balawegaya

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB; සමගි ජනබලවේගය, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சக்தி, 'United People's Power') is a political alliance led by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa. It is the largest opposition party in the Parliament of Sri Lanka since 2020.

The alliance was formed with the approval of the working committee of the United National Party (UNP) to contest in the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election. On 11 February 2020, the election commission of Sri Lanka announced that they had accepted the party as a recognised political party in Sri Lanka. Ranjith Madduma Bandara was named as the general secretary of the party. Other minor political parties like the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) joined the new alliance on 12 February 2020.

The alliance won 54 seats and became the main opposition just six months after its formation. While the alliance traces its political views to the liberal-conservative principles of the UNP, some members of the Sri Lankan media have argued that the SJB has gradually moved to the progressive and democratic political centre over time, and even espouses several social democratic (centre-left) ideals.

History
On 30 January 2020, the United National Party working committee approved Sajith Premadasa as leader of the new alliance and its prime ministerial candidate. On 11 February, the Election Commission accepted the appointment of Opposition Leader Premadasa as the leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya and Ranjith Madduma Bandara as General Secretary. On 13 February, the Jathika Hela Urumaya, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Tamil Progressive Alliance announced their support for the new alliance.

On 19 February, the United National Party working committee approved a swan for the symbol of a new UNP-led alliance.

On 2 March, the SJB was officially launched at Nelum Pokuna Colombo. On 9 March, the alliance opened its headquarters in Ethulkotte, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and on the next day selected a telephone as its election symbol. The alliance handed in its nominations for 25 districts on 19 March for the 2020 general elections, the party's first election.

In May 2020, the Samagi Tharuna Balawegaya (youth wing) and Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya (women's wing) were launched.

Out of 77 UNP MPs, 52 joined the new alliance led by Premadasa. The working committee approved Premadasa as the leader of the alliance and gave him the power to chair the nomination board for the upcoming general elections in 2020. On 14 February 2020, both Premadasa and Ranil Wickramasinghe agreed to contest the elections under the swan symbol and file nominations under Samagi Jana Balawegaya to avoid a division in the United National Party. At the last moment, however, the SJB withdrew from the agreement and a majority of its members signed nominations under the telephone symbol. Approximately 75 members of parliament joined the alliance. A minority of UNP members filed nominations under the elephant symbol.

In the 2020 parliamentary elections held on 5 August, the alliance won 54 seats, thus becoming the main opposition party of the country. On 20 August, SJB leader Sajith Premadasa was inaugurated as the Leader of the Opposition.

Other participants
The Jathika Hela Urumaya, Tamil Progressive Alliance, and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress agreed to join the new alliance on 12 February 2020.

In December 2023, the SJB announced that they would form an alliance in 2024 with other political parties, including the Freedom People's Congress, a breakaway party of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna led by its former chairman G. L. Peiris. This alliance was launched as the Samagi Jana Sandanaya, and nominated party leader Sajith Premadasa as its candidate in the 2024 presidential elections.

Member parties
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya consists of the following parties.


 * Jathika Hela Urumaya
 * Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
 * Tamil Progressive Alliance
 * National Union of Workers
 * All Ceylon Makkal Congress
 * Democratic People's Front
 * New Lanka Freedom Party
 * Jathika Samagi Peramuna (lit. 'National Unity Front')
 * Freedom People's Congress (since 2024)

Symbol
The alliance announced that a landline telephone would be its electoral symbol on 10 March 2020.

Wings

 * Youth wing – Samagi Tharuna Balawegaya
 * Women's wing – Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya
 * Veteran’s wing – Samagi Ranawiru Balawegaya

Chairman

 * Sarath Fonseka (10 February 2020 – present)

Secretary

 * Ranjith Madduma Bandara (10 February 2020 – present)