Opinion poll shows clear victory for UPFA - Minister

An independent opinion poll conducted after the recent postal vote of the Western Provincial Council election had revealed an undoubted victory for the UPFA with a clear majority of 66 percent to 74 percent, Minister of Transport and Railways Dullas Alahapperuma said at a press conference held at the Mahaweli Centre Colombo yesterday (8).

The UPFA would win all 13 electorates in the Gampaha District and five would be won by the UPFA with a majority of 30,000 votes.

He said the UPFA would also win all the electorates in the Kalutara District winning three electorates with a majority of 20,000 votes. The UPFA is expected to do well in the Colombo District.

Minister of Engineering Services and Construction Rajitha Senaratne said the UNP’s slogan for the Western Provincial election was that the Government had no proper economic management.

But most when other countries were suffering under the world economic recession, Sri Lanka had been able to record a growth of more than 6 percent for four consecutive years while bringing down the unemployment rate to 5.2 percent.

“When I was a member of the Ranil Wickremesinghe government my leader said to me no more irrigation, but today President Mahinda Rajapaksa had not only started five major irrigation programs, five major highways, five ports, and an international airport.

I joined this Government in 2008 and already, 87 roads have been built during that short period, Senaratne said. The fertilizer subsidy alone costs more than Rs. 60 billion for the current year.

We have been able to perform almost an economic miracle while waging a war against terrorism he said. Even the kinsfolk in the UNP could not win the recent Provincial Elections and the Western Provincial Election would be a bigger victory for the UPFA, he noted. L.S