UPFA will sweep the board - Nimal Siripala

Irangika RANGE

Leader of the House and Irrigation and Water Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the UPFA is fully confident of winning all 23 Local Government bodies on October 8. ”According to the results of the survey conducted at grass roots level, we are assured of winning all 23 local bodies with huge margins”, he further said.

Addressing the weekly press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo yesterday, the minister said all local bodies which were under the control of UNP and known as UNP strongholds would be won by the UPFA at this election. The UNP has paid its full attention and carried out its election campaign aimed at winning only the Colombo MC election, but we are currently involved in the campaign to capture power on all 23 local bodies.

Divisions and clashes within the UNP will also result in ensuring the UPFA’s victory.

“We are encouraged by the huge public support given by the people for the ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’ at previous elections. Therefore the victory is assured at this election too, to move forward the government’s fruitful development programmes since the people are currently receiving benefits from all those development programmes, he said.

‘A peaceful environment has already been created and there are less election-law violations across the country. Therefore, all arrangements are in place to hold a democratic election and the full support and cooperation of the UPFA will be given to the Elections Commissioner to conduct free and fair election,” he added.

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne said the Opposition UNP is afflicted with a lack of slogans. It is already collapsed and divided. All communities are willing to support the UPFA’s victory at the upcoming elections. People are more intelligent to understand the truth than in the past,” he further said.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said since the UNP launched its campaign based on the CMC election, a number of UNP candidates and supporters had got fed up with the UNP leadership and joined the government voters. Voter base for the minority community for the UPFA have shown a significant increase at previous elections. Compared to the UPFA, the voter base of the UNP has declined. So it is sure minorities have full confidence in the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and they will show their faith at the upcoming election, he added.