All set for WPC polls today

Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Nearly 3,820,214 voters will cast their votes at 2,769 polling stations established in 36 electorates of the Western Province today to elect 102 members to the Western Provincial Council.

According to the Election Commissioner’s Department 2,378 candidates from 19 political parties and 23 independent groups are contesting today’s election from Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts. The UPFA and the UNP are the two main political parties vying power in the Provincial Council which is widely seen as a ‘mini general election’.

The Government has deployed 17,000 police men to ensure a violence free election and maintain law and order on the request of the Election Commissioner.

Police have advised the respective political parties to strictly observe election laws by helping the Police to maintain the law and order. Polling begins at 7.00am and ends at 4.00pm. The number of eligible voters totaling 3,820,214 will cast their ballots at the 2,769 polling centres in the Colombo,Gampaha and Kalutara districts today.

Of the total number of voters ,Colombo district records the highest number with1,560,593 voters, Gampaha has 1,458,295 voters and Kalutara has 801,326 voters.

The highest number of 43 members are to be elected to the Western Provincial Council from the Colombo district while 39 members will be elected from Gampaha district. In addition, 20 members will be elected from the Kalutara district.

The votes will be counted in 319 counting centres which includes 19 postal votes counting centres. Sources at the Elections Commissioner’s Department said the first result would be out by midnight with the results of the postal votes being announced much earlier. Results will be aired on radio and television.

The Elections Department has made arrangements to ensure that multiple registered voters in the province would be permitted to vote only at one of the addresses at which they are registered. The poll cards in regard to the election to be held today have been sent to the voters registered in the Electoral Register for 2007.

The possibility for a person with a National Identity Card to register his name in more than one address in the same district has been prevented by the introduction of a new software system.

In this process, the names of persons who have been multiple-registered in 2008 register have been detected. Accordingly, it was necessary in terms of section 12(7) of the Registration of Electors Act, No.44 of 1980 to register such persons only in one address.

The Election Commissioner has stated that all the Senior Presiding Officers of polling stations will be provided with the details of voters who have registered in more than one address. A special mark will be made against their names in the electoral register issued to polling stations.