A Meheni had advised Rajapaksa that this unification with the SLFP would be unfavourable for his victory and he had decided against joining with the SLFP based on these predictions.
Therefore, the JO had laid out preconditions for the unification that the SLFP was bound to disagree to, preventing the unification.
It is a well-known secret that the former President held the Presidential election earlier based on the advice of his Astrologer Sumanadasa Abeygunasekara.