All set for Batticaloa LG polls tomorrow

270,471 voters to elect 101 members:

by Ananth Palakidnar

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Batticaloa will go for Local Government polls tomorrow with 270,471 voters casting their votes at 285 polling stations in the district. Assistant Commissioner of Elections T. Krishnananthalingam told the Sunday Observer that the Elections Office in Batticaloa with the assistance of the police and the Security Forces has taken all steps to ensure that the local polls in the Batticaloa district take place without any hindrance.

"Voting begins tomorrow at 7am and will continue till 4pm. Twenty-six centres have been set up for the counting of votes and the first result is expected to be announced around 11pm. The local polls in the Batticaloa district take place after 14 years to elect 101 members for nine local bodies including the Municipal Council of Batticaloa.

There are twelve local bodies in the district. However, polls were held for three bodies in 2006. Around 4,200 government officials will be deployed for the Batticaloa polls tomorrow," Krishnananthalingam said.

Campaigning for the Batticaloa polls ended on Friday and according to the Elections Unit of the Batticaloa police there were no major incidents and only 21 minor poll related complaints were reported.

According to H. M. D. Herath, DIG (Elections) 6,425 police personnel will be deployed in the Batticaloa district to ensure a trouble free poll. Security Forces personnel will also join the police personnel in the areas liberated from the LTTE in the East to ensure a safe election. Six political parties, most of them former Tamil militant groups are contesting the Batticaloa polls along with 22 Independent candidates.

There were hardly any public rallies and the candidates and their supporters canvassed mainly door-to-door in the district.