Apr 10, Colombo: While preferential votes in Sri Lanka parliamentary elections are still being released and two more districts are to have re-polls due to election violations some upsets are beginning to appear in the political landscape.
According to the preferential votes results the leader of the National Democratic Front Wimal Weerawansa has topped the list securing over 200,000 votes. The Environment Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka of the Buddhist nationalist party Jathika Hela Urumaya has come in second place with Minister Dinesh Gunawardena following him at the third position.
Reportedly the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda, both crossovers from the United National Party, have failed to secure a place in the preferential votes list.
The Cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya was the highest preferential vote taker in Matara District and enters the parliament as a newcomer while his former captain of the World Cup winning cricket team Arjuna Ranatunga who was a minister in the Alliance government has won his seat in Kalutara District contesting under Democratic National Alliance led by General Sarath Fonseka.
Main opposition United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremasinghe contesting from Colombo District received the most preferential votes from the opposition. Former Mrs. Sri Lanka and Ambassador to Malaysia Rosie Senanayake too has received the most preferential votes from Colombo.
In Gampaha district Senior Adviser to the President and his brother Basil Rajapaksa has secured the most preferential votes while the Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle, widow of Late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle has come in second. The controversial Labor Minister Dr. Mervyn de Silva is reportedly the third in the list.
Both senior ministers Maithripala Sirisena from Polonnaruwa District and Nimal Siripala de Siva fro Badulla District have topped their lists. Minister Nandana Gunathilaka, meanwhile, has lost his seat in Kalutara.
In Ratnapura District Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has secured his place in the parliament but Minister Mahinda Rathnatileka has reportedly lost his seat.
In Batticaloa, the Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan's Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal received only 9.35% of the votes and failed to secure a single seat. Tamil National Alliance party Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) dominated both Eastern and Northern Provinces securing a total of 12 seats in the new parliament.
Complete results of the 2010 parliamentary election will not be released until the re-polls are held in Kandy and Trincomalee districts.
By courtesy of: www.colombopage.com
Published 09th April 2010.
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