Was the actor Rajitha Hiran (Ping Pong) appointed as the Kesbewa Constituency Organiser of SLPP?

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Viral social media posts claimed that Sri Lankan actor Rajitha Hiran, who gained popularity with his role as Ping Pong, has been appointed as a constituency organiser for the Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna. Let’s look at the claim in detail.

Social Media Posts:

A photo of actor Rajitha Hiran making notes in a book was shared through social media, with the caption that he has been appointed as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s Kesbewa Constituency Organiser, vacated by Gamini Lokuge.

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Similar posts were published on social media claiming that actor Rajitha Hiran had been appointed as a constituency organiser.

Fact Check:

Initially, we checked whether there had been any reports in the mainstream media that an actor had been appointed as the Kesbewa Constituency organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, but there was no report regarding that.

However, upon further investigation, we found that the media reported on the opening ceremony of the Kesbewa party office, named Lotus House, which had taken place on the 29th.

The opening ceremony was presided over by the party’s General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and was attended by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s Kesbewa Electoral Organiser Ajith Naragala. Some artists, including Rajitha Hiran, had also attended the opening ceremony; however, the news didn’t mention anything regarding Rajitha Hiran being appointed as the Constituency organizer.

It is also confirmed that the Kesbewa Constituency Organiser is Ajith Naragala, based on the comments made by former Parliamentarian Ramesh Pathirana.

Actor Rajitha Hiran has not been appointed as the organiser of the Kesbewa constituency.

Accordingly, several other news websites also reported that circulating social media posts are false, and that Rajitha Hiran was not appointed as the Kesbewa Constituency Organiser. You can refer to them from here and here. The news reports indicate that some politicians and artists participated in the opening ceremony of the party office held on the 29th, and that false information is circulating that Rajitha Hiran, who was present at the event, has been appointed as the constituency organiser by citing a photograph taken at the time of leaving a commemorative entry in the guest book.

Kesbewa Constituency Organiser Ajith Naragala’s Facebook post

Meanwhile, Ajith Naragala has published a post on his Facebook account, stating that he was appointed as the Kesbewa Constituency organiser, and that the claims that actor Rajitha Hiran (Ping Pong) has been given the position are false. The photo circulating on social media is a photo taken at the time of actor Rajitha Hiran signing the guest book at the opening ceremony.

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Ajith Naragala has posted a live video on his Facebook page at the time of the opening of the Kesbewa party office, and upon observing it, it is confirmed that Ajith Naragala is the organiser of the Kesbewa constituency. Rajitha Hiran is only one of the artists who participated in the event, and in addition to him, several other artists have participated. In the last part of the video, it is seen that they are leaving commemorative notes in the guest book.

Actor Rajitha Hiran also stated that he came to the ceremony for Ajith Naragala taking over the position of constituency organiser, during the statement he made at the event.

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Former SLPP MP Sanjeewa Edirimanne

We inquired with the former SLPP MP Sanjeewa Edirimanna regarding the information circulating on social media. He stated that the news circulating on social media is false, and that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Kesbewa constituency organiser is Ajith Naragala. He further clarified that several artists were invited for the opening ceremony of the Kesbewa party office, and the circulating photo was taken when actor Rajitha Hiran was leaving a commemorative note in the guest book.

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Conclusion:

Our investigation shows that the posts circulating on social media claiming that actor Rajitha Hiran (Ping Pong) has been appointed as the Kesbewa Constituency Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna are false. A photo showing him leaving a commemorative note in the guest book at the opening of the Kesbewa party office recently is being misleadingly circulated on social media. The Kesbewa Constituency Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna is Ajith Naragala.