Measures in place to ensure fair LG poll

by L. S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

Elections for 235 Local Government bodies will be held on Thursday.

Over 20,000 candidates representing the UPFA, UNP and JVP and Independent candidates will contest the election.

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka has called upon public and private sector employers to grant duty leave to their employees to cast their votes.

The Elections Commissioner has advised all District Returning Officers to take precautionary measures to prevent the votes of dead persons or those living abroad being cast at the local government election. The Elections Department has put a special mark on the ballot papers of those deceased and those living abroad.

Over 321,600 public servants and Security Forces personnel were entitled to postal voting which was held on March 8 and 9. Around 75 percent of the postal voters had cast their votes, according to election observers.

SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that the government needs to retain its power in the local bodies to continue its massive development drive islandwide. “We are confident that the UPFA will emerge victorious at the polls, the minister said.

The government called nominations for 18 Municipal Councils, 42 Urban Councils and 270 Pradeshiya Sabhas. The election will be held on March 17. Subsequently, elections for 18 Municipal Councils two Urban Councils and 42 Pradeshiya Sabhas were postponed on account of the ongoing cricket World Cup matches and Court decisions.