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Western Province has 25 per cent of total vote – crucial for main alliances
Western Province
Colombo District :
House to house campaigns, pocket meetings and the distribution of leaflets in support of candidates are in progress with just five more days for the presidential election.
With 1.6 million votes in the district, the candidates consider it as one of the important areas to secure votes while final rallies of the two main candidates Sajith Premadasa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be held in Central Colombo and the Piliyandala area.
Enthusiasm is high showing signs the number of those voting would surpass the 82 per cent turnout at the 2015 presidential election. Young voters are known to be among those most enthusiastic to vote.
Twenty four year old S. Sindhujha said she would vote for a candidate who would help to raise the living standards of the people.
“My husband is a three-wheel driver in the Kotahena area and we find it difficult to live. Therefore we will look for the best candidate whom we think will be able to help the poor,” she said.
There were others who said they would vote for alternative candidates instead of those from the two main alliances.
“We need a change with a good leadership and those who implement their policies”, said K.H. Amaradasa, a 69 year old store manager who recently returned from Kuwait.
A cross section of voters welcomed the absence of violence and the display of posters and cutouts which disrupts normalcy in the city.
“We are thankful that we are able to carry on with our work without any disruptions during the election campaign period,” said a Maradana vendor, Nihal Suriyakumara.
TN Ruberu. Pix by Priyantha Wickremarachchi
J.N. Sujeewa
Senior Police officers said the Colombo district campaign was one of the most peaceful in the past 10 to 15 years. “We hope the situation remains the same until elections are over,” an officer said.
In the district the votes are spread in 15 electorates with the majority of them in areas such as Homagama (193,506), Kaduwela (188,262), Kesbewa (178,976) and Kolonnawa (134,181) while Colombo Central which originally was a multi-member seat with three MPs has 125,335 voters.
At the Nugegoda Supermarket a 53 year old lottery seller J.N. Sujeewa said the unbearable cost of living was seriously affecting his family and he believed Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the better candidate to reduce the burden on the people.
But, 70 year old three wheel owner T.N. Ruberu said he believed that they were safer with the UNP and that a young candidate such as Mr Premadasa would be able to guide the country on the correct path.
In the Colombo district among the key factors are the garbage issue, draining of rain water, unauthorised construction and traffic.
Gampaha District :
The district has the highest number of 1.7 million votes compared to the other districts in the province.
All 13, except one electorate have more than 100,000 votes making it crucial for all parties.
As in Colombo, voter interest is high with parties stepping up canvassing in the district with the candidates themselves addressing several meetings in the area.
All eyes are on the Catholic vote after the Easter Sunday bombings which also caused heavy casualties in the Katuwaptiya church located in the Katana electorate of the Gampaha district.
In the 2015 presidential election Mr Sirisena secured victories only in the predominant Catholic areas of Wattala, Negombo, Katana and Ja-Ela.
“There is no need of harping on the past and we need to continue with our life, ”, says 65 year old Victoria Chandralatha, a voter in Negombo.
There are others who are bitter about the failure to provide security to churches, despite the availability of information given to the Police. They are also disappointed about the provision of compensation to the victims.
In other electorates such as Gampaha there are people unhappy about the main parties and they have decided to support the National Peoples’ Power alliance candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Gampaha Town. Pic by Ishanka Sunimal
“We are not happy about the conduct of the two main parties in the past. Though we know that Mr Dissanayake will not win the election his alliance, led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), will be able to maintain pressure on the government,” said a 42 vegetable shop owner Indika Jayasundra.
The district faces a range of issues including those problems faced by farmers, fisherfolk, flooding and unemployment.
The opening of the Outer Circular Super Highway from Kadawatha to Kerawalapitiya, is one of the key development projects completed by the government.
Kalutara District:
The main candidates, Mr Premadasa and Mr Rajapaksa will have their final rallies on Wednesday, hours before the five week long campaign ends at midnight that day.
Last Sunday Mr Rajapaksa addressed rallies while in the night Mr Premadasa too addressed a rally showing how important the district is for them.
With 955,079 votes on offer and a district where the two parties are evenly poised, supporters of both sides are carrying out a vigorous campaign.
Former Cabinet Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar
“We are confident of winning the district,” former Cabinet Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar told the Sunday Times, shortly after addressing a meeting of Muslim representatives in the Kalutara district. He is actively campaigning for Mr Premadasa.
But, the SLPP appears to be equally hopeful.
“We will be voting for Mr Rajapaksa as he is the only person who can assure us security,” former Principal Walter Fernando said while watching the rally addressed by Mr Rajapaksa.
The votes in district’s eight electorates include the votes of the large Muslim community in Beruwala. This will be crucial for the final result.
The district faces issues over tourism after the Easter Sunday bombings, concerns among fisherfolk on a lack of a fisheries harbour, while the interior areas such as Agalawatta, Bulathsinhala and Matugama are affected by floods and landslides.
Pix by Indika Handuwala
