Vavuniya and Jaffna polls on August 8

Chaminda PERERA

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake yesterday announced that the Vavuniya Urban Council and Jaffna Municipal Council election will be held on August 8 as the period granted for the political parties and independent groups to file their nominations ended at 12 noon yesterday.

The Commissioner also extended the date to accept the applications from displaced voters and the postal voters in the Jaffna MC and Vavuniya UC limit from June 24 to June 30 . Dissanayake said this date will not be further extended under any circumstance.

The UPFA, UNP, TULF, ITAK and two independent groups are vying for the Jaffna Municipal Council.

The nomination lists filed by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and an independent group were rejected by the Jaffna Returning Officer. TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree will lead the TULF list of candidates.

Six political parties and three independent groups are in the fray to win 11 seats in the Vavuniya Urban Council. The UPFA, UNP, ITAK, DTNA, SLMC and the Sri Lanka Progressive Front handed nominations to the Vavuniya Returning Officer G. Charles and the TNA’s nomination list was rejected by the Vavuniya Returning Officer.

All independent groups contesting the elections in Vavuniya and Jaffna received their symbols from the Returning Officer.

UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premajayanth told the Daily News that many parties including EROS and TELO are also contesting the election under the UPFA banner this time. “The UPFA election campaign in Jaffna is handled by Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda while Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishard Badiudeen and Vavuniya District Parliamentarian Sumathipala will lead the election campaign in the Vavuniya district,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, the Elections Commissioner also extended the period to accept the application to vote by post at the forthcoming Uva Provincial Council election from June 26 to June 30.