Provincial Council polls:

UPFA sure of victory

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

Several more political parties would form an alliance with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to ensure a landslide victory for the government at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections, UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.

A National Operations Committee was set up last week to kick off the UPFA campaign for the North Western and Central provincial Councils, and the committee has decided to provide more opportunities for young politicians in the forthcoming elections.

He said that the discussions would be held with the constituent political parties of the UPFA on next Tuesday (16) to decide the number of candidates from each party for the elections. Minister Premajayantha told the Sunday Observer that these political parties will contest under the UPFA banner and added that compared to previous elections there is an increase in the number of political parties to contest under the UPFA.

“Some up-country political parties and the CWC are holding discussions with the UPFA whether to contest with the Alliance”, he said.

The National Operations Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and headed by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake comprises President’s Senior Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP, SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Dullas Allahapperuma And A. H. M. Fowzie.

“President Rajapaksa has instructed the Committee and the Nominations Board headed by Minister Sirisena to give the young Ministers the opportunity to represent the Nominations Board and also select younger politicians from the five districts to contest the elections”, he said adding that the intention of giving the young politicians an opportunity was to make an efficient team of contestants.

According to Minister Premajayantha, the elections will be held in February next year and they are confident that the Rajapaksa government will record a sweeping victory at the two provincial council elections as the government has a clear vision.

Meanwhile, the UNP, which is ready to finalise its nomination for the election, has also appointed a Nominations Board under the Chairmanship of the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Rukman Senanayake, Tissa Attanayake, S. B. Dissanayake and Joseph Michael Perera are the other members of the Board.

The UNP Media spokesman Gayantha Karunatilake MP said that former Minister S. B. Dissanayake had been nominated as UNP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the Central Provincial Council but the nomination for the North Western province was yet to be decided.

“A significant number of candidates is willing to contest the election and there is a marked interest among the UNP politicians in these two provinces”, he said.

According to Karunatilake, the SLMC and SLFP (M) Group and the Western Province People’s Front will jointly contest with the UNP.

The JVP has decided to finalise its nomination list before December, 24 and the two Chief Minister nominees for the Central and North Western provinces will also be announced subsequently.

The JVP General Secretary Tilwin Silva said that the Nomination Board headed by Vijitha Herath MP comprising Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bimal Ratnayake and Dimuthu Abeykoon, will finalise the nomination list. The JVP is to launch its election campaign on December 31.