North Central, Sabaragamuwa provinces:

Polls date to be set next week

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: The Elections Department will declare the nominations and polling dates for North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils before June 16.

The two provincial councils were dissolved with effect from Monday midnight through a special gazette notification issued by the two Governors of the councils.

The Elections Commissioner is to declare the dates for elections and call for nominations during next week.

Elections should be held for dissolved provincial councils within three months from the date of their being dissolved.

According to sources at the Elections Department, the elections for the two provinces are most likely to be held in August.

The North Central Province including Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts, consists of 33 PC seats.

The Sabaragamuwa Province including Kegalle and Ratnapura districts consists of 44 PC seats.

Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said the two councils were dissolved on the recommendations of the two Chief Ministers of the respective PCs.

The North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils were dissolved with the approval of their Governors, with the power vested in them to dissolve the councils. The Councils' full term was to last until August 11 next year. Meanwhile, the MPs of UNP, JVP and the SLMC are reported to have handed over a letter to the Governor of the North Central Province requesting him not to dissolve the Council before the lapse of its official time frame.

Former North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake said the Councils had to be dissolved as it was no longer possible to take forward their work smoothly due to obstructions by the UNP and the JVP. MP Vijitha Herath told the media that a majority of the Members in the Councils were opposed to the dissolution.