Turn-out 60% with heavy forenoon voting

By L.S.A.Wedaarachchi

The Provincial Council polls in the Eastern Province yesterday has recorded sixty percent of voter turn out in the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts, according to the Department of Elections.

The voting began at 7am at 1070 polling stations in all three districts and closed at 4pm yesterday. One thousand three hundred and forty two candidates from eighteen political parties and fifty six independent candidates were in the fray to vie for 35 seats in the Eastern Provincial Council. The votes were categorised in three units as postal votes,direct votes and the votes of the displaced persons.

Sixty five percent voting was reported polled in the district of Ampara, 55% in Batticaloa district and 60% in Trincomalee. An election official remarked that the notable feature in yesterday’s polling was that majority of voters cast their ballots before noon.

Meanwhile the house of the Deputy Minister of Livestock Development K.A.Fayees was attacked by a mob last evening.