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party contesting 16 of 22 districts
Swarajya which was initially a people empowerment movement was registered on February 16, just a week before nominations for the polls closed, but it managed to field candidates in 16 districts including Jaffna. Party general secretary Naveen Gunaratne said the Swarajya or self-governance concept initiated by Mahatma Gandhi was the inspiration behind the movement's growth and its ten-point plan to establish 10,000 gramarajya (self ruled villages) had drawn a tremendous response which had allowed the party to file nominations in so many districts. The candidates contesting under the party include doctors, engineers, farmers, fishermen, academics, gem miners and even three-wheeler drivers. "We have a cross-section of the population including many female candidates," Mr. Gunaratne said. "We want to awaken the people to strengthen themselves. Under this system, everyone can be king ('okkoma rajawaru')", he added. Another lesser-known party the Socialist Equality Party has fielded candidates in the Colombo district alone drawing its membership from among the working class. The Party's Secretary Wije Dias said that the SEP is committed to representing the interests of the independent working class. The Jathika Sanwardena Peramuna has fielded six pastors as candidates among its Puttalam district nominees to contest the election. |
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