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Tuesday, 14 July 2015 00:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The crucial 17 August general election will see 6,151 candidates vying for 196 Parliamentary seats.
Submission of nominations closed at 12 noon yesterday and thereafter, one-and-a-half hours were allowed to file objections, if any.
Accordingly, 22 recognised political parties and 16 independent groups have submitted nominations, and among them, nominations of one political party and one independent group were rejected.
Colombo District Receiving Officer Kamal Pathmasiri stated that the nominations of Okoma Rajawaru Okoma Wasiyo party were rejected.
The number of candidates to contest from the Colombo District is 792.
Thirteen political parties were to contest from the Gampaha District, however, the nominations of Nawa Sinhala Urumaya party were rejected. Accordingly, 588 candidates from 12 political parties and 16 independent groups are contesting the 17 August general election from the Gampaha District.
The nomination list of the Government party, United National Party (UNP), which formed a common front on Sunday with several other political parties against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, included UPFA members Minister Champika Ranawaka and Western Provincial Councillor Hirunika Premachandra.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha, Deputy Ministers Eran Wickramaratne, Harsha de Silva and Sujeewa Senasinghe and State Minister Rosy Senanayake were among the candidates for the Colombo District.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa filed his nomination papers to contest the election under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from Kurunegala District while his staunch supporters Susil Premajayantha, Dinesh Gunawardena, Wimal Weerawansa and Bandula Gunawardena filed nominations from Colombo District.
Among others in the UPFA nominations for Colombo are former ministers Gamini Lokuge, Rohitha Bogollagama, and former Western Provincial Councillor Udaya Gammanpila.
Popular actress and former Parliamentarian Upeksha Swarnamali has been granted nomination from the UPFA in Gampaha District.
Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa, the former President’s son, will contest from Hambantota District under the UPFA while the Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando, who is charged of assault during presidential elections, was also given nomination under the UPFA.
However, former Parliamentarians Duminda Silva, Mervyn Silva, Sarana Gunawardena and Sajin Vass Gunawardena have not been given nominations from UPFA while other UPFA members accused of corruption and financial fraud have been given nominations.
It was reported that Duminda Silva, who is a popular personality among the voters in Colombo District, would contest independently.
Meanwhile, the inaugural election rally of the United National Party will be held tomorrow at Kandy with the participation of prominent members of the party including Party Leader, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The UPFA will hold its inaugural election rally in Anuradhapura under the patronage of former President Rajapaksa on 17 July.
Pix by Shehan Gunasekara, Pushpakumara Jayarathne, Romesh Madusanka, Nayanajeewa Bandara, Ranjith Rajapaksa, Wasantha Chandrapala
