Postal voting applications closing date extended

Chaminda Perera

The closing date of applications for postal voting was yesterday extended till January 9 to enable school teachers who failed to forward their applications due to school vacation, to avail themselves of this opportunity.

The Elections Department requested teachers to either hand deliver or post their applications to the returning officers on or before midnight of January 9. The applications received after January 9 will be annulled without considering the causes for the delay.

According to Elections Department sources, eight political parties from Kurunegala district and 12 from Puttalam are in contention for the North Western Provincial Council elections. The Kurunegala Returning Officer yesterday told the Daily News that over 10,000 officers including Presiding Officers, Senior Presiding Officers and Retaining Officers would be deployed in the district to man the upcoming Provincial council election.

Puttalam Election Office sources said the number of officers to be deployed in the district for the election were yet to be decided.

Over 1,300 candidates representing the Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts will vie for the Central Provincial Council while 937 candidates representing Kurunegala and Puttalam districts will contest for the North Western Provincial Council.

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), United National Party and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna are contesting all three districts under the betel leaf, Elephant and Bell symbols while the United National Alliance are in the fray from Matale, Kurunegala and Puttalam districts.