Turnout over 50 percent:

Polling peaceful

Chaminda Perera

*Villagers more keen

*Brisk voting in H’tota

UPFA leads

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has bagged majority of the postal votes in almost all polling divisions and are far ahead of other political parties contesting the Local Government Elections 2011.

According to the final results released by the Elections Department in respect of some Local bodies in the Kandy, Matara and Nuwara Eliya districts at the time of going to press, the UPFA leads in the Local Government Election.

The United People’s Freedom Alliance polled 7,246 votes as against 3,622 votes obtained by the United National Party in the Weligama Urban Council of the Matara district. The UPFA has secured seven seats as against UNP’s three seats for the Urban Council. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress secured 353 votes with no seats. The UPFA leads in the Hatton Dickoya Urban Council and Nawalapitiya Urban Councils and several other Local Government institutions in the Nuwara Eliya district. The UPFA obtained 2,177 votes from the Wattegama Urban Council securing six seats while the United National Party obtained 1,612 votes with three seats. An independent group has secured a seat in the Wattegama UC.

Officials of the Elections Department stated that yesterday’s voting was peaceful except for a few minor incidents as polling for the Local Government election closed at 4 p m. Voting commenced at 7.00 am yesterday to elect 3,031 candidates for 235 local government authorities which include three Municipal Councils, 30 Urban Councils and 202 Pradeshiya Sabhas.

Returning Officers of many districts told the Daily News that the voter turn out which was in the range of 30 - 40 percent initially exceeded over 50 percent when the poll ended at 4.00 p m yesterday.

Ballot boxes were sealed and the candidates were given an opportunity to paste their stickers in the presence of Senior Presiding officers of each polling division before being taken to the respective counting centres under heavy security by the Police and Security Forces.

According to the 2009 voters register 9,813,375 persons were eligible to vote and the total number of postal voters exceeded 321,595. Over 29,000 candidates from the main political parties and the independent groups were in the fray.

Counting of postal votes commence soon after the voting closed yesterday evening.

The highest voter turnout were reported from Anuradhapura , Pollonnaruwa and Hambantota districts.

The voter turn out of these district exceeded 60 percent.

The voter turn out in certain divisional secretariats in the Kalutara district surpassed 55 percent by 12 noon yesterday.

Election observers including the People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFEREL) said the voters in rural areas show more interest in exercising their franchise than the urban voters and in the suburban areas.

They said that initially no long queues were seen at the polling stations as usual in other elections when voting commenced at 7.00 a m.

A special security arrangement was in place in and around the polling stations and the Security Forces jointly with the police launched a mobile service covering all areas where the election was held.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa along with Hambantota district parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa cast their votes at the Medamulana D A Rajapaksa Vidyalaya while Prime Minister D M Jayaratne cast his vote at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya in Gampola.