All Ceylon Peoples Congress Parliamentarian from the Wanni District Hunais Farook who was elected on the UPFA symbol Betel in the 2010 hustings has crossed over from the Government and joined the United National Party.

Hunais Farook regarded as the right hand man of ACPC leader and cabinet minister Rishard Badhiyutheen participated in a UNP meeting at Sirikotha that was also attended by common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena and UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Amidst wide speculation that more UPFA Parliamentarians would join the United National Party,Several stalwarts of the UNP held discussions with Farook over the past few days.

Farook is the first UPFA MP to join the opposition after Friday. Nuwaraeliya District MP P. Rajathurai, who officially announced his support to the United National Party at a press conference yesterday, joined the party last Friday following the press conference held by Maithripala Sirisena.

Speaking to reporters in Horagolla yesterday, common candidate of the opposition, Maithripala Sirisena indicated that more UPFA MPs will cross over to the opposition in the coming weeks. However, stalwarts of the UPFA, addressing a press conference in Colombo on Saturday, assured that no ruling party MP would cross over to the common opposition.