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Candidate sambol as party infighting grows for preferences
Under a façade of calm in Anuradhapura, battles are raging within parties as candidates vie to wrest the preference votes that will most ensure a seat in the next parliament.
Duminda Dissanayake at a meeting
This is the case throughout the North-Central Province as a million voters – 693,394 from the Anuradhapura district and 331,109 from the Polonnaruwa district – prepare to respectively elect nine and five MPs to parliament in the August 5 election.
The main themes facing all parties are solutions to the human-elephant conflict, farmers’ issues, the provision of adequate drinking water and unemployment.
Of equal importance to candidates’ fortunes, however is the struggle to gain preference votes from other candidates of the same party or alliance, with less than 3 per cent of seats subject to direct election.
Election monitoring groups expressed concern about possible violence due to party infighting.
The Director of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Ahamad Manas Makeen, said there was an influx of hate speech between party members in Polonnaruwa.
“Though there is no violence reported in the North-Central Province we have concerns over Polonnaruwa as candidates who are contesting under the same party are making heated comments regarding each other to increase their preferential votes,” Mr. Makeen said.
Tension has increased where parties are contesting as alliances. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), National Freedom Front and Viyathmaga candidates are in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
The SLPP is targeting seven seats and has named among its candidates in Anuradhapura, S.M. Chandarasena, Shehan Semasinghe, K.H. Nandasena , K.P.S. Kumarasiri, T.M.R. Siripala, S.C. Mutukumarana.
The SLFP has its own candidates on the alliance list, such as Thissa Karaliyadda, Duminda Dissanayake, Weerakumara Dissanayake – all loyalists of former president Maithripala Sirisena.
Other alliance partners Viyathmaga and the National Freedom Front have their own candidates on the list, respectively Dr. Channa Jayasumana and Uddiaka Premaratne.
SLPP District Organiser for Anuradhapura and Wildlife Minister, S.M. Chandrasena said the wild elephant issue and shortage of drinking water and farmland were the key issues in the province for this election. He claimed these would be given priority in the next government.
“The SLFP candidates contesting in the Anuradhapura district under the SLPP are no threat to us as they only have a few votes. Both the UNP and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya are fractured, so victory is ours,” Mr. Chandrasena declared.
Former SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake said he and other SLFP candidates would remain supportive of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa despite the verbal attacks of SLPP members.
“The ones who say not to vote for us are saying that because we have a voter base. We are proud that this means they also know that we too have a good voter base.” Mr. Dissanayake said.
He said the stricter campaigning rules imposed by the Election Commission this year have become the greatest challenge to all parties as they are unable to carry out poster campaigns. He said if he were elected to parliament he would give priority to changing the election regulations.
The UNP and its breakaway group, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), are vying with each other for supremacy, with tensions exacerbated by the fact that some SJB candidates crossed over from the UNP.
One of them, Chandrani Bandara, said the party was holding a greater number of small meetings as it is unable to carry out poster campaigns due to the election regulations.
“People living in remote areas don’t have a clue about the candidates or their numbers as poster campaigns are not allowed,” she said.
“There is no violence reported in Anuradhapura. Our campaign is being carried out as peacefully as possible.
“The people in the area are farmers. Our priority is to offer them fertiliser as the current government failed to provide it,” Ms Bandara said.
Other former UNP candidates now with the SBJ include P. Harrison, Isahak Rahuman and Chandima Gamage.
The UNP has fielded three lawyers, Kasturi Anuradhanayake, Sanjeewa Gunaratne and Sanjeewa Senevirathne, former United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Mervyn Silva and former JVP provincial council member, Ranweera Pathirana.
The JVP has accused the SLPP of using state property such as vehicles as well as gathering state employees to rally when President Rajapaksa visits the area. JVP candidate Wasantha Samarasinghe said the complaints have been forwarded to the Election Commission.
In Polonnaruwa, infighting among candidates has increased in recent weeks. This is mainly visible between the SLPP and SLFP, which are contesting under the same symbol.
SLPP candidate Roshan Ranasinghe and former president Maithripala Sirisena (SLFP) have been making heated comments against each other at their respective meetings while holding fire when they appear together on an SLPP platform
The Sunday Times noted Mr. Sirisena was being attacked over the Easter Sunday attacks and the rice mafia that manipulates the market.
Besides Mr. Sirisena, SLPP candidates in Polonnaruwa include Amarakeerthi Athukorala, S. Jagath Samarawickerema, Siripala Gamlath and Peshala Bandara.
SJB candidate Sydney Jayaratne said SLFP candidates such as Mr. Sirisena are courting voters with goods. He claimed that police seize the goods but release them back to the SLPP afterwards.
The Jathika Jana Balawegaya is also contenting in Polonnaruwa district, fielding three candidates. Candidate T.B. Sarath, complained that despite advice from the health authorities the ruling SLPP was holding large political meetings under cover of visits by President Rajapaksa.
(Additional reporting by Sarath Manula Wickrema (Anuradhapura) and S.M. Manoj)