Provincial Elections

• Spoilt votes tilted balance - Western Province
• UNP tumbles but cries foul - Central Province
• On a tight rope - Sabaragamuwa Province
• Sets example — little violence - North Central Province
• UNP loses in 10 percent slide - Uva Province

Reports by: Shelani de Silva, Chamintha Thilakaratne, Faraza Farook, Ayesha Rafiq, Nilika de Silva and Sunny Samarasinghe.

Western Province

Spoilt votes tilted balance 

Colombo: The fate of the big and important Western Province was significantly decided by the rejected votes and by the thundershowers.

While the PA's victory margin was only about 9,000, thanks to a large majority from the Gampaha district, the number of rejected or spoilt votes totalled a massive 127,130. Most analysts believe this was a clear sign that many non-party floating voters felt badly let down by the major parties and did not have a credible alternative to turn to. So they either stayed away or deliberately spoilt their vote, indicating they had lost faith in the whole system of petty party politics which they feel is ruining everything from the ethnic issue to the economy. In all five provinces, the total number of rejected or spoilt votes was a staggering 348,135 — making it the third largest behind the PA and the UNP while the JVP came fourth with about 250,000 and the Thondaman coalition 140,000.

The rejected votes in the WP became a crucial factor as both parties over the weekend struggled to form a majority administration. The eight JVP seats and the three MEP seats also became a deciding factor. But the JVP was insisting it would support no other party while the MEP was setting stiff condition. 

The man of the moment was the UNP's charismatic Karu Jayasuriya for whom it was a victorious defeat. Mr. Jayasuriya rose to fame as Colombo's mayor and polled a record preference vote of more than 250,000 — the third highest in any election since the PR system was introduced 20 years ago and next only to Chandrika Kumaratunga and Lalith Athulathmudali. 

Mr. Jayasuriya, told The Sunday Times that many natural causes among others worked against the UNP. 

"The rain affected many voters who did not turn up at the booths and so did small-scale rigging. But all in all, the people have decided on their chief minister and we do not intend to disrupt the administration but act in the public welfare at all times," he pledged.

A jubilant PA chief ministerial candidate Susil Premejayanth, though his preference vote was almost one lakh behind Mr. Jayasuriya's record insisted that the elections were largely free and fair.

Like Mr. Jayasuriya, he also pledged he would consult the opposition in all matters and try to work out a process of consensus politics for development, just as he and Mr. Jayasuriya had cooperated during the election campaign. 

The JVP with eight seats — the highest in its turbulent three-decade history was quite pleased with the outcome which put them in a kingmaker role and also provided a launch pad for a bigger role in mainstream national politics. 

Most of the candidates re-elected were old faces with businessman Nvad Ajith Cabraal from the UNP being one of the few newcomers to provincial politics. 

Although Minister A. H. M. Fowzie's son, Nauzer, was elected on the PA ticket after a highly-publicised and sometimes controversial campaign, Minister Alavi Moulana's son, Naqeeb, did not make it. Also failing was Communist party secretary Raja Collure. 

For the UNP former Speaker M. H. Mohamed's son, Shahul Hameed as well as a former UNP Minister Weerasinha Mallimarachchi's son, Janaka, made it on the preference vote. 

From the Gampaha district, Presidential Co-ordinating secretary, Lasantha Alagiyawanna obtained the highest number of preferential votes (70,070) with Prasanna Ranatunga coming second with 62,656 votes, despite a black mark over the cricket board elections where he stood with a candidate who was challenged by President Kumaratunga's uncle, Clifford Ratwatte.

Another significant observation was that many candidates and party leaders except the President and the Prime Minister arrived at the polling stations in neutral colours. The usual display of party colours at booths was missing. 

Opposition leader Ranil Wickrememsinghe was among those who decided to dress in white this year quite in contrast to the usual election spirit.

Despite pledges by the parties to ensure gentleman politics, the Western Province has recorded a large number of incidents of violence — with more than 50 on election day alone. 

Among the incidents reported was the alleged assault on the JVP chief minister candidate Wimal Weerawansa and an attack on the motorcade of Mr. Jayasuriya at Attidiya. 

The UNP has alleged a number of rigging incidents which it claims would have had an impact on the final results, since the province was won by a slim margin. 

The election also provided a significant results on a national scale with both parties suffering defeats in the electorates of party bigwigs. 

The PA lost in Minister Alavi Moulana's electorate of Colombo Central and Minister Fowzie's Colombo north though their sons played prominent roles. Colombo East where Minister G.L. Pieris is the organiser, the Borella electorate of Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, and the Avissawella electorate of Minister Indika Gunawardena also went to the UNP. 

Central Province

UNP tumbles but cries foul

Kandy: As in other provinces, the race between the major parties in the central hills was a photo-finish with Kandy being a tie and the PA winning the Matale district by two seats and the UNP the Nuwara Eliya district by one seat.

Overall, the PA won 26 seats in the council, less than an absolute working majority but the UNP fell from 32 seats in the outgoing council to 23. 

UNP officials were quick to allege that the results would have been closer or even gone their way if not for rigging and violence, especially in Matale district but PA analysts dismissed these claims as normal complains of losers.

Compared to the 1994, general elections, the UNP's popularity has fallen significantly in the Kandy and Matale districts by some 8 percent, but the PA standing has gone up only marginally.

It was worst for the UNP in the Matale district, once the party stronghold. The drop in the vote for the party was more than 10 percent. 

Fourteen of the 23 electorates in the province were won by the PA. 

A JVP official said they were happy to have won one seat in the Central Province but they had complaints about malpractices. 

The PA is still cautious about celebrating victory, feeling it would be premature in view of the slim majority of three seats and the uncertainty of support from the Thondaman coalition which won six seats and could now play a power-broker role.

Minister Nandimitra Ekanayake, who is likely to be appointed as PA chief minister told The Sunday Times it was still too early to start the wheels rolling as victory depended on the support of the minority parties.

"I am still a little wary of saying anything because our victory is still not assured. Admittedly it all depends on whom the minority parties decide to support, so we will have to wait and see," he said.

He pledged that as chief minister he would take effective and immediate action to curb the plunder of funds through corruption and also provide more powers to the Pradeshiya Sabhas in the province. He said education and agriculture system would be priority areas in development plans.

A significant feature of the Central Province election was that UNP's chief candidate, Keheliya Rambukwella, though remanded over an alleged killing during the campaign got a thumping 150,000 preference votes, the third highest in the country next to the Western Province's Karu Jaysuriya and Susil Premjayanth. Mr. Rambukwella was given special permission to go out and vote, escorted by prison guards. 

Kesara Senanayake, UNP candidate for Kandy and son of former Speaker E. L Senanayake was elected to the PC, but his brother R.D. Senanayake failed to make it.

Among the UNP candidates elected were former MP Rupa Sriyani Daniel, former minister Renuka Herath's husband, Wimal Ranaweera, and Wasantha Aluvihare.

Despite the province having a strong minority vote, it was significant that from the major parties, only one Tamil candidate, V. Puththirasigamony of the UNP was elected from the Nuwara Eliya district. But minority representationis provided through the National Union of Workers and the Up Country Peoples Front which together won seven seats.

The UNP's former chief minister of the Central Province W. M. P. B. Dissanayake was a disappointed man, falling into a poor fifth place in the UNP preferential votes list, though he campaigned vigorously. 

"I am disappointed. There was large-scale violence and rigging. If not for that, we would have won with a big majority," he claimed. 

During the election campaign, the Central Province recorded the highest number of incidents and not surprisingly there were scores of allegations on polls day also.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence — a group which has been accused by the government of being partial and politically motivated — the rigging was widespread. 

CMEV officer P. Abeysekera said their monitors were on duty in 97 polling booths in Matale district and reports indicated that the situation was not satisfactory in no less than 67 of those booths.

While UNP supporters made several allegations, PA officials also said that the house of PA Chairman of the Kundasale Pradeshiya Sabha was attacked, along with the houses of 18 PA supporters.

At Hanguranketa, the electorate of Minister S.B. Dissanayake, it was alleged that six state vehicles had brought PA supporters to vote by force at Bogamuwa and Rikillagaskada.

Sabaragamuwa Province

On a tight rope

Ratnapura: Like all provinces, the Sabaragamuwa also saw a close race with the PA eventually winning by three seats including two bonus seats.

In the 42 member council, the PA got 20 seats, the UNP 19, the JVP 2 and the NUW 1, leaving the balance of power on a tightrope.

Police and election monitors said Sabaragamuwa had a largely peaceful and fair election, but opposition parties have alleged large scale rigging in the Kegalle District to the extent that affected the final results.

The JVP got one seat in each district, but the more significant feature was that its main candidate Ajith Kumara, infamous for his role in the bomb attack on parliament in 1987, got only a meagre 503 preference votes from the Kegalle district. 

Overall most analysts believe the voting pattern indicated disappointment with the performance of both major parties, though large numbers of those dejected voters did not turn to the smaller parties either.

The UNP's chief ministerial candidate Jayathilake Podinilame who held that office till the dissolution of the council last year, claimed the party had lost more than 10,000 votes because of large scale rigging in the Kegalle District.

He said Aranayake and Rambukana electorate were worst affected and he had information that about thirty vehicles packed with unknown outsiders had been operating there in the final days before the elections. 

He said that though the PA had got the largest number of seats in the council, the UNP did not see it as a victory for the PA because of the malpractices. 

He said he was confident that the JVP and the NUW would not support the setting up of a PA administration. 

The UNP Aranayake candidate G. Dhanapala said thugs had come to pollig booth and threatened the officers. A complaint was made to the police but they said they had no vehicle to come there. 

Former Deputy Minister Athauda Seneviratne who is likely to be nominated as the PA chief minister of the province though he did not contest said the election was free and fair except for a few incidents. 

We will never have a 100% fair election but I totally deny charges of large-scale rigging in Kegalle district. We won because the people want honest leaders to run the province," he said.

A spokesman for the JVP told The Sunday Times that four days before the polls several poll cards had been collected by a group.

'We won't say it was like Wayamba but there were malpractices. We believe that the people have come to accept our policy and they know we are true in what we say," he added.

Assistant Superintendent of Police A. Peramuna who was in charge of elections in the province said the poll was relatively peaceful, with no major incidents. 

"There were only minor incidents reported from a few polling booths, but in other areas it was very quiet," he said.

The total number of votes received in the Province by the PA was 356,543, the UNP 334,415 votes, the JVP 32,737 votes, the NUW 11,937, MEP 3,176, NLF 5,047 and the Liberal Party 983. 

North Central Province

Sets example — little violence

Anuradhapura: The biggest and most emphatic victory for the People's Alliance was in the North Central Province, where it won 19 seats, reducing the UNP which earlier ran the province to 12.

This gave the PA a working majority of more than half the number of seats in the council with the voting pattern in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts being similar to the 1994 national elections. 

The PA polled 54.09 percent of the votes in the Anuradhapura district compared to 55.18 percent at the last general elections. In the Polonnaruwa district the PA obtained 52.01 per cent as against 51.18 percent in 1994.

The voter turnout on Tuesday was high in spite of rain though it was mild compared to the thundershowers in Colombo. 

In the last PC polls in 1993 the NCP saw 297,122 voters casting their ballot. But this time, the figure was 466,482 — almost double the turnout in 1993. 

It was also significant that the number of rejected or spoilt votes had almost doubled from 17,604. in 1994 to 32,408.

After the results were announced, Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake made a speech on behalf of his wife, Jayani Tissera Dissanayake, the candidate who polled the highest number of votes in the NCP.

The PA polled 231,757 votes, 60,000 votes more than the UNP

On election day a few scattered incidents were reported from the province. But it was minimal when compared with other provinces.

In one serious incident, police fired into the air to disperse a gang which allegedly tried to stuff ballot boxes at Nirawiya in Anuradhapura. 

UNP candidate Sunil Mendis was allegedly assaulted by a gang in Nallanchiya, and was admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital for a day.

The PA's chief candidate Jayani Tissera Dissanayake polled 84,506 preference votes but she is expected to stand down in favour of her husband . For the UNP W.B. Ekanayake topped the list with an insignificant 23,674 votes. The party's chief ministerial candidate fared even worse, getting only 13,703 votes.

Uva Province

UNP loses in 10 percent slide

Badulla: The People's Alliance in what was seen as Uva's narrowest neck and neck race snatched the province from the UNP after 11 years.

The two major parties ran so close to each other that the highest majority in any polling division was 2,144 and the lowest a tantalising 242. Percentage-wise the PA won the Badulla district by just 0.91 % and the Moneragala District by 1.04 %.

The JVP was next on the list followed by Minister S. Thondaman's new coalition contesting under the symbol of the National Union of Workers (NUW).

Of a total of 34 seats, the PA won 17 inclusive of the two bonus seats and the UNP 14 while the JVP won two and the NUW one. 

Compared to the results of the 1994 General and Presidential elections, the PA has gained more than 10 percent while the UNP popularity has dropped by 1.57 percent in a province which it has traditionally dominated.

However numerous complaints have been made mainly against the PA of intimidation, impersonation and vote rigging. 

It is alleged in the Badulla district's Mahiyangana electorate — the only area which stood by the UNP when all others went to Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1994 — some 10,000 votes were rigged in ten polling centres. Some election monitoring officials accused a top PA politician of manipulating the voting process. 

UNP chief ministerial candidate Karuppaiah Velayutham who took over after the death of former chief minister Percy Samaraweera during the campaign, lost badly. He feels he did not get adequate support from the party. 

Mr. Samaraweera, though dead, polled the largest number of 45,626 preference votes.

For the PA, Deputy Minister Samaraweera Weerawanni played the leading role though his name was not on the list. 

His wife, Nalini Weerawanni won 36,947 preference votes but she is likely to step down for her husband to take over as chief minister though latest reports over the weekend spoke of parliamentarian Dilan Perera as another possible candidate for the top post in Uva. 

JVP's main candidate Rohitha Thilakaratne said he was optimistic of the party's role in the province after it polled a substantial number of votes. 

"Until now only two political parties were dominating the country each one taking its turn one after the other. But now we are confident we can give them a fight," he said. 

He also alleged that some rigging and impersonation had taken place. 

One of the serious incidents reported was at the Arawatha polling centre, where a gang allegedly linked to the PA robbed poll cards from UNP supporters. A top PA politico is accused of involvement. About 80 polling cards were seized and a Samurdhi niyamaka taken into custody in Passara. 

In an incident at Dehigolla, around 40 PA supporters are alleged to have threatened female supporters of the JVP. The JVPers say they complained to the police but no action was taken. 

On the morning of election day, a home guard and a Reserve Police Constable had been taken into custody by the Welimada Police with posters, gum, tyres and weapons in their possession, alleged to have been transported in a MP's vehicle.

At Galporuyaya, two election monitoring officials are alleged to have been chased away and their bicycle tyres deflated. 

As in other areas, the Uva province also saw heavy rain on polling day but the turnout was relatively good.

JVP to nominate Tamil member

By Nilika de Silva

The JVP will include a Tamil speaking person in its list of eight members to be nominated to the Western provincial Council irrespective of preference votes, party spokesman Wimal Weerawansa told a news conference.

He said the list to be announced soon would not include anyone from outside it.

Party leader Tylvyn Silva said they were not going by the preference votes because only 4000 preference votes had been cast for JVP candidates while the party had got more than 28,000 votes in the WP. 

He said most of those preference votes also had been cast for the first, second and third names, since some people felt the ballot would be invalid if all three preference votes were not marked.

The JVP leader reiterated that his party would not support either the PA or the UNP in forming the administration in the WP where the JVP holds the balance of power.

Mr. Weerawansa said the chief ministerial candidates of both the PA and the UNP had approached the JVP and proposed terms for support but the party was firm in its view that it would stand alone. 

He said the JVP would use its seats in the PC not to set up or topple administration but to work for the welfare and upliftment, especially of the poor people. 

"We will work to see that the limited resources of the PC are not used by members for personal or party gains," he pledged. The JVP leaders said last Tuesday's poll was better than the Wayamba fraud but there was still large-scale rigging or violence. 

"This time they picked out the egg and the fish and only what they wanted from the plate, but at Wayamba they ran off with the whole plate," Mr. Weerawansa quipped.

He said that when they met the President at a session of the election monitoring committee they had asked that steps be taken to ensure that the votes of some 600,000 Sri Lankans abroad were not used fraudulently by others, but little or nothing had been done in that direction. 

CMEV going South

The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) which has come under heavy fire from the government for alleged partiality and a tendency to blow up incidents is undeterred and going ahead with plans to monitor the upcoming Southern provincial polls also.

CMEV Coordinator Pakiyasothy Saravanamuttu told The Sunday Times they would inform the Commissioner of Elections of their decision and go ahead with the same strategy to monitor the southern polls.

He again rejected charges that the CMEV was politically motivated or backing the interest of any political party. 

Meanwhile the CMEV is to hand over its report on the recently concluded polls to the Commissioner of Elections within the next two weeks. 

The spokesman said that post-poll violence was much less with only four incidents being reported comparing to 30 in Wayamba. 

Poll security plans for South 

With nominations for the Southern Provincial Council elections being set for April 22 to 29, election officials and police will meet next week to finalise security arrangements.

M B R Pushpakumara, the deputy election commissioner in charge of the arrangements told The Sunday Times that a meeting of police, party and election officials will be held on April 19 to work out a tight security plan. The elections are likely to be held in early June. 

Meanwhile the outgoing chief minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene told The Sunday Times active campaign work would begin after the New Year. 

Karu's media chief gives picture of attack

Film director Sisil Gunasekera, chief media officer for UNP chief ministerial candidate Karu Jayasuriya alleges he was assaulted by a gang and his video camera smashed after he secretly took pictures of violence outside a polling booth in Attidiya. 

The 39-year-old Mr. Gunasekera, a film director with creations such as Guvan Karanam, Ralla, and Raeliya to his credit told The Sunday Times he was seeking a full police probe on the ugly incident and he could provide solid evidence against the culprits. 

Soon after being discharged from the national hospital, Mr. Gunasekera spoke to The Sunday Times and gave full details of what happened at Gonakovila polling booth in Attididya. 

"We visited polling booths to see how things were. At a polling booth in Ratmalana we saw what appeared to be some rigging and we filmed it. Then at Aththadassi Vidyalaya in Gonakovila, Mr. Jayasuriya got down and went into the polling booth. I got news that the JVP polling agents at the booth had been assaulted. I also learnt that the vehicle of the people who had come to attack was also parked a little way ahead.

"I got into the kovil garden and went to a place that gave me a good view of the vehicle and took photographs crouching behind a fallen Nuga tree. I even got the number plate of the vehicle into the picture.

"Then I saw Wimal Weerawansa (JVP spokesman) being surrounded by people. 

"I took photographs of this too. At that time they started assaulting him. There was an SI and three or four police officers nearby but they did not stop this assault.

"I then asked my colleague Suranga Panapitiya to take the equipment and get away to safety. Then about five or six people came, grabbed my still camera and hit me. They smashed the video camera because they did not know how to get the cassette out. They took the still camera. They damaged our four vehicles also, three vans and a Pajero.

"When Mr. Jaysuriya came to the scene, I ran up to him and told him to get away. He refused saying he could not let them assault people. Mr. Jayasuriya then went to the place where Mr. Weerawansa was. Mr. Jayasuriya was not hit although they came to hit him. They had grenades and weapons in their hands. I pushed Mr. Jayasuriya to get him out of the trouble spot.

"We went to the Mt. Lavinia Police Station with Mr. Jayasuriya around 12.30 p.m. but it was only at 3 o'clock that they recorded our statements. After that we were taken to the Accident Service."

Meanwhile Mr. Weerawansa said a PA bigwig from Mt. Lavinia, his brother and about 100 other people who were drunk had assaulted those who were opposing them.

MEP will consider coalition offers, declares Dinesh 

By Shelani de Silva

After another poor show by the party, where it polled only some 79,000 votes in all five provinces, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader Dinesh Gunawardena has again charged that there was large-scale rigging, especially in the North Central and the Central provinces

Mr. Gunawardena told The Sunday Times it was no surprise that the PA had achieved victory after it abused state funds and vehicles for party gains. 

Asked whether the MEP will join either the PA or the UNP in the Western Province, Mr. Gunawardena said nobody had yet approached him. 

"If we are approached-which is very unlikely-we might consider. But it does not look like that," he said.

He challenged the claims that the JVP had overtaken the MEP as a political third force, saying the JVP vote base had not increased significantly but it was getting more media publicity than the MEP to obtain a place in the Council which they have done.

Who said the family tree is not growing?

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Despite both main political parties being committed in words to do away with nepotism, PA and the UNP politics are largely about family links and traditional electoral bases.

Last Tuesday's provincial polls indicated the continuity of this trend which despite rhetoric, still thrives in the Sri Lankan politics. Only the JVP among the frontline parties has rejected concepts of political dynasties but that too may be largely because it is a relative new comer to politics. 

The UNP was earlier labelled as the 'uncle nephew party' but it has been outdone by the PA where not only nephews, but very young sons, sisters and in-laws, not to mention outlaws, have all joined in the fray — bidding for the highest provincial stakes.

In Colombo, Minister A.H.M. Fowzie's son Nauzer and Minister Alavi Moulana's son Naqeeb were prominent PA candidates. 

The UNP's list in Colombo also provided lots of family ties. Former speaker M.H. Mohamed's son Shahul Hameed and former minister Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi's son Janaka along with Lilantha Perera, son of the slain councillor Christie Perera, were all elected. The UNP's losers included late Ossie Abeygoonesekara's brother Senaka and M. S. Sellasamy's wife Vellamma.

Gampaha district also had its share of family ties, what with it being the Bandaranaike heartland. 

Prasanna Ranatunga, son of Deputy Minister Reggie Ranatunge emerged number 2 on the preference list despite recent controversies, while Sarana Gunewardene, son of MP Lionel Gunewardene and Nandana Mendis, brother of UNP MP Wijeyapala Mendis were among the winners. 

A notable PA loser in the Gampaha district was Channa Nandasena, son of the controversial MP Jinadasa Nandasena who has been accused of involvement in some recent incidents in Kelaniya.

Mercifully, the third district of the Western Province, Kalutara, did not go much for family ties, except the UNP's defeated candidate Srima Kariyawasam, wife of late Agalawatte member Merril Kariyawasam and PA parliamentarian Kumar Welgama's relative Anandanath Welgama.

The desire to perpetuate family politics persisted in the Central Province with several PA and UNP candidates claiming close links to politicians.

Former Speaker E.L. Senanayake's two sons Raja and Kesara both contested from the Kandy district — one won and the other lost. Former SLFP MP Yasaratne Tennakoon's son Thilina and PA MP Wilson Kuruppuarachchi's son Chaminda were also elected — Chaminda being the youngest candidate at 21 years.

Late UNP member Anura Daniel's sister Rupa Sriyani Daniel contested unsuccessfully with two cousins Mahindananda and Sisira Kumara Aluthgamage also joining the fray.

In Matale, Wasantha Aluvihare, son of UNP Parliamentarian Alick Aluvihare and brother of former Matale Mayor Ranjith secured the Aluvihare vote bank. Similarly, Sanjeewa Kaviratne, son of late UNP Minister P.B. Kaviratne also won in his traditional domain.

From the Central Province, two brothers of key ministers also contested successfully. Minister Nandimitra Ekanayake's brother Sarath and Minister S.B. Dissanayake's brother Saliya Bandara were elected from Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts. 

Candidates from Anuradhapura in the North Central Province included a curious mixture of wives, sons and brothers. The PA list included Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake's wife Jayani Tissera and former SLFP parliamentarian Janak Adhikari's brother Anura Deshapriya Adhikari.

The UNP included Rani Adhikari, the wife of former Minister A.M.S. Adhikari and former Minister E.L.B. Hurulle's son Themiya Lokubandara, both representing Anuradhapura district.

In Uva, PA's chief ministerial candidate Samaraweera Weerawanni's wife Nalini and Women's Affairs Minister Hema Ratnayake's son Bhasura were among the successful candidates. 

The UNP's late Chief Ministerial candidate Percy Samaraweera's nephew Upali Delton Samaraweera contested successfully. Percy Samaraweera's son Ravindra is an MP for Badulla district at present. Two brothers D.D.W.W. Wickremeratne and Edwin Wickremeratne also contested from the UNP. 

In Moneragala, chief contestants were the son and sister of two deputy ministers representing the area. Saliya Sumedha de Silva, son of Deputy Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena and Priyantha Mangalika, sister of Deputy Minister Jagath Pushpakumara both won. 

Among the defeated was PA's Sumith Wijeyamuni de Soysa, the brother of Moneragala district parliamentarian Wijitha Wijemuni de Soysa.

In the Sabaragamuwa province, nepotism was somewhat less, especially in Kegalle where 'family nominations' have not been reportedly given. In Ratnapura however, the Ellawalas gained political prominence with late Nanda Ellawala's brother Mohan and wife Suranganie both contesting successfully. 

The UNP also fielded General Secretary Gamini Atukorale's cousin Nalaka Nilantha Atukorale and late Ratnapura district parliamentarian Athula Atygalle's brother Samitha. 

If these records are anything to go by, who could claim nepotism to be a thing of the past or at least to be on the wane?

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