LG polls on March 17
Several lists rejected:
Chaminda Perera
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake yesterday announced that
the Local Government election would be held on March 17 to elect 3,931
members for 301 Local Government bodies islandwide.
Over 20,000 candidates will vie for 301 slots in four Municipal
Councils, 39 Urban Councils and 258 Pradeshiya Sabahas while over 12
million voters will be eligible to cast their ballot.
Acceptance of nominations from recognized political parties ended at
noon yesterday without any major incident while acceptance of deposits
from the independent groups conducted at noon Wednesday.
A number of nomination lists from many recognized political parties
and independent groups were rejected by the Returning Officers and
Assistant Elections Commissioners due to various discrepancies in the
nomination lists.
Several nomination lists of UPFA and UNP were rejected as the names
of the candidates were not attested by a Justice of the Peace or
Commissioner of Oaths.
In the Colombo District, nomination list submitted by the UNP for
Homagama PS was rejected while the JHU list for the Maharagama PS was
also not accepted due to errors in the nomination papers.
The UNP also raised objections against the UPFA nomination list for
the Maharagama Urban Council without success.
UNP nomination lists for Baddegama PS, Eravur UC and Warakapola PS
were rejected while UPFA nomination lists for 16 Local Government bodies
in the Jaffna District, Akmeemana, Siyabalanduwa, Moneragala and
Polgahawela, Yatinuwara, Wigamuwa and Pallepola PSs failed to pass
muster.
The nomination lists by the UNP and the UPFA for the Embilipitiya PS
were rejected by the District Returning Officer.
The TNA nomination lists for Poonekery and Pachchiyapalli PSs in the
Kilinochchi District also failed to go through. The JVP nomination list
for Wilgamuwa and Nattandiya PSs and the SLMC list for Ukuwela PS also
failed to receive endorsement. In the Ratnapura District the UNP list
for Weligepola PS had been rejected. The nomination lists submitted by
the SLMC for Akurana PS in the Kandy District also suffered the same
fate.
No official declaration with regard to the acceptance of nominations
was made by the Elections Department at the time of going to press.
The first nomination list was presented by Janasetha Peramuna led by
Ven Battaramulle Seelarathna Thera for the Kesbewa and Homagama PSs.
The Elections Commissioner last week turned down all application for
the registration of new political parties on the grounds that these
parties have not met the criteria laid down by the Department.
Elections will also be held in the newly established Local Government
bodies. Kaduwela, Dambulla, Akkaraipattu and Bandarawela Urban Councils
which were elevated to the status of Municipal Councils while Eravur PS
became an UC. New Pradeshiya Sabhas were created in Narammala, Irakkamam
and Lunugala. |