Lanka elections: it is Battle Royal in Colombo district; advantage UPFA

The election contest in the Colombo electoral district is expected to be Battle Royal – a home and home match. Being a cosmopolitan and spiraling electoral district, the outcome is expected to be very important.

There are 836 candidates from 22 political parties and 16 independent groups contesting in the election vying for 19 parliamentary seats.

Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka is located in the Western Province and the total area is around 699 square kilometers and according to the 2008 electoral register there are about 1,521,854 voters, 1017 polling centres 101 counting centres.

It is expected that UPFA will bag 14 seats and UNP 5 seats. According to the survey made by Asian Tribune, Sarath Fonseka who is contesting as the leader of Democratic National Alliance, and his party will not be able to win a single seat; other political parties will sure draw a blank in the Colombo electoral district.

Earlier the district was dominated by the opposition United National Party. In the 2004 Parliamentary Elections UNP won 9 seats, whereas UPFA had 5, JVP 3 and J HU 3 – a total of 20 which includes the district bonus seats also.

Subsequently UNP parliamentarians Milinda Moragoda, M.H. Mohamed, Bandula Gunawardena, Gamini Lokuge crossed over to the UPFA Government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa and got powerful ministerial positions.

The UNP Tamil MP T. Maheswaran was assassinated and Mano Ganeshan is not contesting from the UNP in Colombo.

Former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga who was an UPFA parliamentarian has joined the Democratic National Alliance led by former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka.

Today UPFA bigwigs-- Ministers Milinda Moragoda, (formerly UNP), Rohitha Bogollagama (formerly UNP), Bandula Gunawardena (formerly UNP) , Gamini Lokuge (formerly UNP) Susil Premjayantha (UPFA – General Secretary) A.H.M. Fowzie, Jeewan Kumaratunga (UPFA), Dinesh Gunawardena (UPFA – MEP) and Champika Ranawaka (UPFA – JHU)-- are contesting.

Former J.V.P and leader of the Jathika Nidhahas Perumuna Wimal Weerawansa is now contesting in the UPFA ticket. Along with him the powerful Thilanga Sumathipala, a former UNPer and former Chairman of the Board Control for Cricket and a UPFA provincial Councilor, Azad Silva, former UNPer and today Western Province UPFA provincial Councilor too are contesting in the UPFA ticket.

Sudharman Radaliyagoda, G Rada Krishnan, Danasiri Amaratunga, Sumith Wijayamuni, H Rohanadeera, Gamini Thilakasiri, Chandana Kathriarachchi, M Ravichandran, Mahesh Almeda are also contesting in the UPFA ticket.

In the meantime, UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, Ravi Karunanayake, Sunethra Ranasinghe, Mohamed Mahroof, Mohan Lal Grero, Shiral Laktillake, Srinath Perera, Jayantha De Silva, Karunasena Kodituwakku, M.J. Muzammil, Wijayadasa Rajapaksha, Rosy Senanayake the winner in the first Mrs. World competition held in 1985, former Miss Asia Pacific International winner in 1981 and who competed as Miss Sri Lanka in Miss World contest in 1980 who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Western Provincial Council and United National Party Chief Organizer for the Colombo West Electorate are in the contest.

It is learnt that JVP leaders are contesting in the Democratic National Alliance led by former Army Commander. In the 2004 JVP managed to win three seats in the Colombo district.

After the 2004 Parliamentary elections, elections for the Colombo Municipal Council as well as for the Western Province Provincial Council.

The UNP which controlled the Colombo Municipality for years was unable to contest in the last Council election as their listof candidates was rejected by the Election Commission and for the first time UNP was unable to contest in the election.

In the Provincial Council election UPFA trounced the UNP and captured the Council. Even in the last Presidential election Mahinda Rajapaksa polled 614 740 votes which was 52.93 % and Sarath Fonseka only polled 533,022 votes which was 45.90 %.

The whole scenario of win and lose in the districts depends on the votes of Tamils in the district. It is learnt that one third of total number of votes belong to the Tamils of the district. Unlike in the Presidential elections, Tamils are overwhelmingly expected vote for the UPFA.

Asian Tribune has done an extensive survey in the district and found that UPFA will convincingly win 14 out of the 19 seats up for grab in the district.

Also UNP led by Ranil Wickremasinghe will manage 5 seats and no one else including Sarath Fonseka as well as Arjuna Ranatunga will be able to win a single seat from the district.

In the meantime it is learnt that UPFA leader and President Mahinda Rajapaksa has briefed the candidates not to fight amongst themselves to get highest number of preferential votes. It seems it has been told that getting the highest number of preferential votes will not be the criteria for the consideration of ministerial slots in the future, when forming the new Government.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has emphasized that UPFA leaders should work to obtain more seats in the general elections.

- Asian Tribune -