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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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Mini-general polls campaign hots up by Deepal Warnakulasuriya With only five more days left for the 'mini-general election' for six provincial councils scheduled for July 10, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as district and provincial leaders of respective political parties were busy with their publicity campaigns. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and JVP Publicity Secretary and MP Wimal Weerawansa were the dominant figures in Freedom Alliance public rallies while Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, its Secretary National Organiser S.B. Dissanayake with MPs Tissa Attanayke, Gamini Lokuge and several others led the UNP campaign. The Prime Minister presided at the Southern Province public rally on June 29 in Galle and participated at the Sabaragamuwa Province rally in Kegalle the next day with JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe to ensure the UPFA victory at the elections. The Western Province rally held at Angoda Police junction was chaired by Wimal Weerawansa. Except the massive rallies, electoral level meetings of the UPFA were chaired by party stalwarts like Maheepala Herath, Shan Lal de Silva, Reginald Cooray, Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Nandana Gunathilake, Wimal Weerawansa, Vijitha Herath and Tilvin Silva. The Opposition Leader briefed Monaragala district candidates on June 26 and the following day outlined the strategy for his party supporters in the Badulla district in Uva Province at the Bandarawela Town Hall. He also participated at the Southern Province campaign encouraging party members and chaired a forum held to brief Hambantota district candidates at the Tangalla Town Hall. S.B. Dissanayake, MP Tissa Attanayake and several others were also busy with the campaign participating at several islandwide meetings. A spokesman for the Ceylon Muslim Congress (CMC) said that it did not hold publicised meetings but would be conducting 'a house-to-house' canvassing program in the areas where they contest. A spokesman for the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) said it would contest only the Sabaragamuwa Province by itself and three others would contest the Uva, Central and Western provinces under the UNP. Its propaganda campaign began on June 20 at Yatiyantota and all estate workers in the area were briefed on their policy and strategy. The spokesman added that the party would only conduct several pocket meetings. Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said that he met party leaders on Thursday and they had agreed to abide by all election laws till the end of polls. He said that all arrangements had been finalised for the elections on July 10 with instructions for respective returning officers and duty officers on conducting a free and fair poll. He said that the election would be held in 5507 polling centres with over 125,000 officers on duty. The polls campaign would end on July 7. Dr. Harischandra Wijetunga, the leader of Sinhalaye Maha Sammatha Bhoomiputhra Party contesting all six PCs, said that it would also conduct its campaign on pocket meetings. The Nava Vamanshika Peramuna leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said that his party had arranged several small meetings in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces in connection with the elections. Meanwhile, IGP Indra de Silva, has ordered the removal of posters on both SLCTB and private buses and instructed the police to fine drivers and conductors who failed to abide by this ruling. A senior official attached to the Police Election Secretariat said that necessary police personnel would be deployed at all Divisional Secretariats during the polls to maintain law and order. One-hundred-and-two members will be elected from 1347 contestants to the Western Province from 35 nomination lists. Twenty-nine members will be elected from 688 candidates to the Southern Province from 53 nomination lists. There are 368 candidates in 19 nomination lists in the North Central Province, for which 53 members will be elected. Sabaragamuwa Province will have 42 members from 35 nomination lists out of 855 candidates. |
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