Lansa, Buddhadasa, the worst election law violators

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Created On Wednesday, 12 February 2014 11:15

Category: General

Election monitors CaFFE and PAFFREL are receivinig many complaints as the campaigning heats up for the western and southern provincial council elections, but the number of complaints to police is on the decline. Most of the complaints relate to assaults and misuse of public property.

Anyhow, there is stiff competition in the WPC polls, with former chief minister Prasanna Ranatunga and Nimal Lansa, both of whom are contesting from Gampaha, being the frontrunners. They are using state property in their campaigning and it is likely that Lansa will have the record spending by a candidate at this election. For him, stickers have been pasted on around 5,000 vehicles, which incidentally is a punishable offence, as only the candidate’s vehicle can display propaganda material. Ranatunga is a close second, with more than 3,500 vehicles and 5,000 three wheelers displaying his propaganda posters. He has not returned any of his official vehicles and is blatantly using all of them in his campaigning.Lansa hopes to become the chief minister and it is reported that the son of a top government minister has given him Rs. 100 million for his campaign.The top competitors for Colombo are Udaya Gammanpila and Manjula Buddhadasa, but many believe the former will obtain a record number of preferential votes, as he is neither a UPFA nor a SLFP candidate. He has received Rs. 20 million as well as 300 jobs to be distributed in return for votes. That is because Wimal Weerawansa wants to see Buddhadasa, the son of his arch rival, defeated.The son of Kaduwela mayor G.H. Buddhadasa is contesting an election for the first time, and has organized the biggest vehicle procession in his campaign with nearly 500 vehicles. The Kaduwela businessmen’s society and a businessman from Nugegoda are sponsoring the pasting of his pictures in vehicles. Nearly 4,000 stickers have been pasted by him in Discovery, Hummer, Prado and other expensive vehicles.It is Lansa and Buddhadasa who have done the most decorations illegally in their respective campaigns. Police refuse to accept complaints of assaults by the supporters of these two candidates. Anyone coming forward to complain will be beaten up again, according to police.Expect more on the SPC polls…