Peaceful Polling In Eastern Sri Lanka

Polling in the local body elections in the eastern Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking district of Batticaloa went off peacefully Monday, though there were some allegations of vote rigging, sources in the district said.

There were nine political parties and 22 independent groups fielding 831 candidates for 101 posts in nine Pradeshiya Sabhas and the Batticaloa town municipality.

Security was tight with 6,425 police and paramilitary personnel on duty in the 285 polling booths.

The elections had assumed importance because they were the first to be held after the Tamil areas of Batticaloa district were liberated from the clutches of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in mid 2007.

The successful conclusion of the elections is expected to enthuse President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold elections to an eastern provincial council. The Sri Lankan northeast has not had provincial council elections since 1990.

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http://newspostindia.com/report-41639