News

News

LG polls: Major parties lose their strongholds
Sri Lankan will once again go to the polls on March 30 to elect representatives to 330 local government bodies but there is already controversy growing regarding the rejection of nominations lists of the two major parties in areas considered as their strongholds.

The UNP suffered a major blow after its nomination list for the Colombo Municipal Council was rejected. It was a Council the UNP has won consecutively since 1977 and was assured of getting a majority of seats this year too at the March 30 polls.

The reason for the rejection was the submission of a nomination of an underaged person to contest the polls (See separate story).Even before the UNP list was rejected, there was infighting between members as to who should be the Mayoral candidate for the Party in this all-important Council with one time UNP strongman Sirisena Cooray being selected as the party’s choice .
Meanwhile the UPFA too had its nomination list to one of its strongholds – the Gampaha Pradeshiya Sabha - rejected by the District Returning Officer following objections filed by other political parties.

The UNP's nomination list for the Seethawakapura Urban Council too was rejected while UPFA nomination list for the Matale Municipal Council and for the Talawakele and Lindula Urban Council too were rejected. The JHU nomination list for the Embilipitiya Pradeshiya Sabha was also rejected while the nomination lists of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress for the Colombo Municipal Council and the Puttalam Urban Council were also rejected. It was only the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna that filed candidates successfully for all the local councils that they planned to contest.

The JVP filed nomination lists in respect of all local councils except for those in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mannar. A total of 4,255 members are to be elected to 330 local bodies including 18 Municipal Councils, 42 Urban Councils and 270 Pradeshiya Sabhas. More than 10,000 candidates will vie for seats at these Councils.

Top

Back to News