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CP: Challengers confident there’s room in the house for them
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Former ministers, MPs, provincial councillors, ex-local councillors, as well as freshers are in the fray for the 25 seats in the Central Province.
The contest is even with over two million voters in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts.
A cross section of candidates from the main parties expressed their views.
Kandy: NDF candidate Shanthini Kongahage
Kandy District
Former Provincial Council member of the United National Party, now leading the New Democratic Front (NDF) under the gas cylinder symbol, Shanthini Kongahage, said campaigning is house-to- house and a part of it is to educate people about NPP falsehoods at the presidential election and about the inability to fulfill promises made.
She wants voters to choose experienced people.
Ms Kongahage said she is focusing on implementing former president Ranil Wickremesinghe’s plans for Kandy city.
NPP Kandy District candidate Dr. Hasanka Wijayamuni, told the Sunday Times that he retired early from working in state hospitals and private sector as a medical doctor to get involved in politics and serve the public.
He studied at Richmond College and pursued higher education at Ruhunu University.
He said that he was one of the policy makers involved in creating the NPP manifesto for the presidential election, Thriving Nation. A beautiful life.
He said that all sectors must change. Corruption should be stopped and management issues within hospitals have to be resolved.
He said the party will focus on reducing traffic congestion in Kandy city while also completing the expressway.
The SJB team leader Tissa Attanayake, said campaign activity has intensified with house-to-house campaigns and pocket meetings. The goal is to secure seven seats.
“We think that NPP will not receive the same number of votes they received at the presidential election,” he said.
He claimed that President Anura Kumara Dissnayake is discussing with Tamil and Muslim political parties in the north as the NPP is not sure whether it can form a government with a majority.
Talking about the prevailing political situation he said people seemed to be losing faith in the six-week-old government.
Though former minister Lakshman Kirella stepped down from politics after 36 years in Kandy, his daughter Chamindrani Kiriella is contesting from the SJB.
Kandy: NPP candidate Dr. Hasanka Wijayamuni
Ms Kiriella said that unlike in the presidential election people vote for the candidate who is capable of working for the area.
She said that the SJB was defeated by 70,000 votes, but the public interest in the NPP government is on the decline.
She rejects accusations of fraud related to the central expressway section from Mirigama to Kurunegala. “After three months an investigation was held and recommendations were sent to the COPE. It was revealed that there was no financial fraud,” she said.
SLPP list is led by former MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara.
He said there are no big rallies, cutouts and posters and instead campaigning is house to house.
“We are taking only one message to the people, which is to protect the middle path politics by sending a person who follows middle path politics to parliament,” he said.
Nuwara Eliya
The United National Party is fielding a list of candidates for the district and they include former minister Jeevan Thondaman of the Ceylon Workers Congress.
One of the candidates, Nimal Piyatissa, told the Sunday Times that the UNP is contesting under the elephant symbol. The tea estate community is familiar with the UNP symbol.
He said the UNP and the SJB are competing to win more seats. According to him the NDF-backed UNP plans to win three or four of the eight seats.
He said the SJB Tamil MPs would secure votes because the NPP’s popularity has dropped.
SJB candidate V Radhakrishnan told the Sunday Times that five seats can be won.
“According to the votes SJB obtained at the presidential election we are confident of a victory. The UNP will probably get one seat, they are not a challenge to us,’’ he claimed. There has been positive feedback during house-to-house meetings and pocket meetings.
Matale
The Matale District NPP team leader. Gamagedara Dissanayake is confident of winning the five seats. The NPP can win in all four electorates.
“We have new and capable candidates unlike other parties which are fielding those who led the country to bankruptcy. We do not view other parties as a challenge.’’
NDF candidate for Matale District, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon who is contesting under the gas cylinder symbol, said a strong campaign is being waged to gain a seat in parliament
He observed that the people are not interested in voting. They are tired of elections as the parliamentary election was called just after the presidential election. Mr Tennakoon said that the adverse weather, too, has affected campaigns. “Despite rain we are holding house-to-house campaigns, pocket meetings and canvasing.”
He said people have lost interest in the government after six weeks in power and are searching for a substitute. According to him, SJB too, has reduced its campaigning.
SJB Matale District leader Rohini Kumari Kaviratne said that the focus is on winning at least three of the five seats. She expressed confidence, saying, the trend in favour of the NPP observed during presidential elections has diminished.
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