The alliance was formed with the approval of the working committee of the United National Party (UNP)[9] to contest in the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election.

[13][14] On 30 January 2020, the United National Party working committee approved Sajith Premadasa as leader of the new alliance and its prime ministerial candidate.

[18] On 9 March, the alliance opened its headquarters in Ethulkotte, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte,[2] and on the next day selected a telephone as its election symbol.

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.

[19] On 14 February 2020, both Premadasa and Ranil Wickramasinghe agreed to contest the elections under the swan symbol and file nominations under the Samagi Jana Balawegaya banner to avoid a division in the United National Party.

[24] This alliance was launched as the Samagi Jana Sandanaya, and nominated party leader Sajith Premadasa as its candidate in the 2024 presidential elections.