Analysis: AKD secures same 15 electorates that Gota won in 2019

National People's Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured 15 electoral districts that were won by former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in the previous Presidential elections in 2019, according to official election results.

Mr Dissnayake secured victoires in the electoral districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Mahanuwara, Matale, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradharpura, Polonnaruwa, Moneragala, Ratnapura, and Kegalle. 

In 2019, Mr Rajapaksa won 16 electoral districts in total. 

In addition to Nuwara-Eliya, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Digamadulla districts which Mr Premadasa won again, he also secured Badulla electoral district which he lost in 2019. 

However, there are some notable differences between the otherwise similar voting patterns at the electorate level. 

Dissanayake won in more electorates in the Western province than Rajapaksa did, clinching Colombo East, Dehiwela, Borella, Negombo, and Wattala which voted for Premadasa in 2019. Premadasa also lost favor with the Galle electorate which gave Dissanayake a landslide victory this time despite voting for Premadasa in 2019.

However, Premadasa also improved in other provinces as well. In Uva, he won Bibile, Moneragala, Mahiyangana, Wiyaluwa, Badulla, Bandarawela, Uva-Paranagama, and Welimada electoral  divisions which previously voted against him. 

In the North-Central province, Dissanayake lost Horowupotana and Medawachchiya to Premadasa, two divisions that voted for Rajapaksa in 2019.

Premadasa also improved in the Central province winning all divisions in Nuwara-Eliya including the only one he lost in 2019, Hanguranketha. 

Matale did a U-turn with Laggala and Rattota divisions which were won by Rajapaksa in 2019 going to Premadasa in 2024 while the only division won by Premadasa in 2019, Matale, flipped to Dissanayake. Dissanayake was the main protagonist in Mahanuwara doing better than Rajapaksa did by winning Nawalapitiya, Mahanuwara, and Udunuwara divisions which previously went to Premadasa. On the other hand, Premadasa managed to flip Teldeniya in his favour.

Premadasa shook up Sabaragamuwa by capturing  Yatiyanthota, Deraniyagala, Pelmadulla, Nivitigala and Rakwana who all voted against him in 2019. However, the only electorate he won in the province in 2019, Mawanella, let him down with a Dissanayake victory.

Premadasa's long standing strength in the Eastern province improved further as Seruwila division in Trincomalee that voted for Rajapaksa in 2019 went to Premadasa this year. 

But in the Northern province which Premadaa won in majority numbers in the previous polls, an unlikely contender, Ariyanethiran took the lead in Udupiddy, Point Pedro, Kayts, Nallur, Vaddukkodai, and Jaffna divisions  this time. 

Sajith Premadasa secured 167,867 preferential votes in the second count while Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured 105,264 votes. The votes were added to the first round totals.