All set for LG polls in B'caloa

Party campaigns to begin this week

By Ananth Palakidnar

[email protected]

Arrangements to hold the local government polls in the Batticaloa district after nearly fourteen years are now in order with the political parties contesting the local polls launching their campaigns this week, Assistant Commissioner of Elections, Batticaloa district T. Krishnananthalingam said.

Commenting on the situation with regard to the local polls in the Batticaloa district Krishnananthalingam told the Sunday Observer that 831 candidates from six political parties including 22 independent candidates would contest the forthcoming local polls on March 10 in the Batticaloa district where 101 members will be elected for nine local bodies including the Municipal Council of Batticaloa.

The last Mayor of Batticaloa, Chelian Perinpanayagam who was also a journalist was a former editorial staffer at ANCL's Thinakaran prior to his entry into politics. He was assassinated by unknown gunmen in the late nineties and since then there was no Mayor elected for the Batticaloa Municipal Council, informed sources said.

According to Krishnananthalingam 285 polling stations would be set up and 4,200 staff would be engaged in election activities.

For the first time in nineteen years polling stations would be set up in Porathivupattu, Manmunai South West, Manmunai West and the Koralaipattu North areas. These were uncleared areas earlier and they were liberated last year from the clutches of the LTTE by the Security Forces.

Krishnananthalingam also said that arrangements are under way for postal voting to be held on February 21 and all other arrangements will be in place before the March 10 polls.

Security will be tightened and each candidate will get two policemen. The three-party coalition comprising the PLOTE, Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (Naba) and Tamil Makal Viduthalai Puligal, the breakaway party from the LTTE along with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) are expected to have a tight contest in the forthcoming polls.