By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The Sri Lanka freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have failed to agree on the symbol under which they will contest the next elections. Both the SLFP and the SLPP have agreed to form a new alliance to contest the next election. SLFP General Secretary Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa told The Sunday Morning that the SLPP’s symbol “flower bud” would not be the symbol of the new alliance, while SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam stressed that the parties had not yet discussed about a symbol and, therefore, Prof. Piyadasa was not in a position to rule out the flower bud. Prof. Piyadasa said a new alliance would be formed under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena to contest the forthcoming elections, and all other parties could join the SLFP to form the alliance. “The SLFP had already commenced the first round of talks with other parties to form the new alliance,” he added. When asked whether the party would take any disciplinary action against its members who obtained membership of the SLPP, he said that the Central Committee of the SLFP had not decided to take such action against any of its members. Meanwhile, SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam noted that their party, which contested under the flower bud symbol, got the majority of votes at the last local government election, and when considering the political history of this country, the party which obtained the highest numbers of votes form alliances with other parties. “We have not yet discussed anything about the alliance or the symbol and, therefore, it is not fair to comment publicly on any of these matters. First, we have to wait till the Supreme Court verdict is delivered as everything would depend on that decision,” Kariyawasam stressed. Meanwhile, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when asked at an event yesterday under what party or symbol he will contest the next election, said that there was still time to decide that.