Prasanna Ranatunga tops WPC preference votes

Chaminda Perera

Former Provincial Minister Prasanna Ranatunga secured 186,338 preference votes, the highest in the Gampaha district and in the entire Western Province from the UPFA. Nimal Lansa received 76,156 votes, the seconed highest in the Gampaha District for the UPFA.

R. Duminda Silva and former Cricket Board Chief Thilanga Sumathipala have secured the highest preferential votes from the Colombo district at the Western Provincial Council election which ended on Saturday while former Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray and SLFP Chief Organiser for Horana electorate Vidura Wickramanayaka have secured the first and second places in terms of preferential votes from the Kalutara district.

Duminda Silva who launched a massive election campaign which attracted youth as well as adults obtained 165, 128 preferential votes while Sumathipala received 159,603 preferential votes.

Duminda Silva who contested the 2004 Western Provincial council election on the UNP ticket secured only 56,569 votes on that occasion. Former Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray obtained 72,951 votes with Vidura Wickramanayaka acquiring 63,535 votes.

Former Chief Minister Reginald Cooray obtained 94, 134 votes at the 2004 Western Provincial Council election.

Three Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen from the Kalutara district were also elected to the Western Provincial Council. They are Beruwala PS Chairman and artiste Piyal Nishantha De Silva, Bandaragama PS Chairman Lalith Ellawala and Horana PS Chairman Yasapala Koralage.

Ajith P Perera , Palitha Thevarrapperuma and Lakshman Wijemanne were among the five UNP candidates elected to the Western Provincial Council from the Kalutara district. Lakshman Wijemanne is the son of former UNP Minister V.L. Wijemanne.

Former Central Environment Authority Chairman Udaya Gammanpila polled 116,144preference votes at the election and secured the third place from the Colombo district while artiste Roger Seneviratne and former Provincial Minister Hector Bethmage are among the 25 UPFA candidates elected from the Colombo district at Saturday’s poll.

Former Mrs World Rosy Senanayake topped the UNP list for the Colombo district obtaining 80,884 votes under the UNP ticket while Managing Director of Lyceum International Schools Mohan Lal Grero and A S Senasinghe are among the 15 UNP members who were elected to the WPC from the Colombo district. Former NSB chairman Upali Gunaratne, Neil Rupasinghe and Former Senior DIG P.M.G. Kotakadeniya are among the 27 candidates who were elected to the Council on the UPFA ticket from the Gampaha district.

Ruwan Wijewardena in his debut appearance polled 53,756 votes from the UNP, while Harshana Supun Rajapaksa, Ajith Kumara and Srinath Perera are among the 10 UNP candidates who were elected to the Western Provincial Council.