UPFA win predicted in Matale, Puttalam

Sandasen Marasinghe

Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma stated that according to a first round survey report the UPFA would win Matale and Puttalam districts with 69 per cent and 66.1 per cent of votes respectively in the up coming Provincial Elections on February 14.

Minister Alahapperuma stated that the surveys were conducted by an independent body consisting of university lecturers and university students and their reports were 98 per cent accurate on the last Provincial Council elections held in August.

He made this observation at a press conference held by Alliance Polls Campaigning Centre to educate the press on the upcoming Provincial Council Elections for North-Western and the Central Provinces.

The Minister said the UNP would receive 25.33 per cent and 24.5 per cent of votes in Matale and Puttalam districts while the JVP would get 2.49 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively. He said the second round survey would respectively be conducted close to the election and the statistics may vary with minimum changes. The survey report would be issued on February 12 or 13.

He said so far the UPFA had held four major rallies with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Provincial Council Election Campaign while nine secondary rallies were held with the participation of Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka and 1,860 other rallies using loud speakers were also held. The first round door to door canvassing is over and the second round door to door canvassing would commence this weekend.

The Minister stated that the Rally held in Matale was attended by unprecedented crowds and the massive rally that was held in Hanguranketha was the largest rally ever held not only in Hanguranketha but also in the entire Nuwaraeliya district.

However, the UNP leaders are holding their rallies in Elpitiya and Weligama while the elections are in Nawalapitiya and Matale.

The public has deserted Ranil Wickremesinghe as he dropped the National Flag from his hand and the UNPers and the public have flocked around the President as he holds the National Flag instead of a blue flag.

He invited the UNP to conduct the election campaign as an active functioning opposition which was a need in a democratic society.

Minister Alahapperuma said the UNP condemned the intelligence units saying they did not divulge the facts about submarines but they did not blow it as a national question. It was because most of the parts of the submarines were products of a company in Europe where peace talks were held and where Thamilselvan stayed for three days for peace talks.

As a result of the MOU between Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE 5,000 cement bags were sent in the first month and another 10,000 bags were sent each month thereafter. They were supposed to build houses for ordinary people but no houses have been built for the ordinary people. Only palatial houses have been built for Prabhakaran.

Agriculture Minister Hemakumara Nanayakkara stated that the UNP challenged to provide a written document to prove that the UNP had opposed the humanitarian operation against the LTTE. The proof itself is the MOU signed between Ranil and LTTE which confined our soldiers to camps and that brought international recognition to the LTTE. Deputy Health Minister Vadivel Suresh addressing the briefing said the public in the estate sector are waiting to chase away the UNP from the estate sector on February 14.