Brisk voting in the Eastern Province; 50 per cent turnout by noon
Polling turnout in the Eastern Province was brisk. By noon polls turnout in the Batticaloa and Trincomalee Districts had exceeded 50 percent, while in the Ampara District the pace of polling steadily picked up by noon.
At the last local government elections in 2012, statistics revealed the three districts recorded the highest voter turnout with Batticaloa recording 73%, while Ampara and Trincomalee recorded 70% and 66% respectively.
The Illankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) better known as the TNA is contesting all three districts in Eastern province under the house symbol.
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the UNP are contesting together in the Ampara district while Rishad Bathiudeen's All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) is contesting independently.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sri Lanka Podhu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) and a number of independent groups are also in the fray.
Some 380,327 registered voters voted at 457 polling centres in the Batticaloa District to elect candidates to 1 Municipal Council, 2 Urban Councils and 9 Pradeshiya Sabhas.
There are 2,736 male candidates and 901 female candidates contesting for 238 slots of the local bodies in the district.
According to the Batticaloa District Secretariat, 4,437 police personnel were deployed through out the district to ensure a peaceful election.
The island of Maanthivu in the Batticaloa District which houses the treatment centre for leprosy has the least number of registered voters -- three. Polling at the station was completed by 8 am.
The 100-acre island has for decades been dedicated to the treatment of leprosy patients from across the island.
The three voters are from Jaffna, Hakmana and Trincomalee.
Election Department officials together with police personnel travelled to the island by boat from theVavunatheevu bridge last morning in order to open the polling centre.
Election monitors deployed across the Eastern Province said a majority of complaints received so far related to canvassing, attempts to influence voters, distri- bution and display of campaign material.
According to monitor CMEV, it received a few complaints regarding physical attacks and threats close to polling stations.
The CMEV said it had recorded a complaint that United National Party candidate A. M. Rakeeb and his supporters attacked supporters of other political parties at the Pulavarmani Sharfudeen Maha Vidyalaya polling station in the Periyaneelavanai ward in the Kalmunai Municipal Council area in the Ampara District.
By mid-afternoon the Trincomalee District recorded a 55% voter turnout. Reports indicated the pace of voter turnout accelerated close to noon.
Trincomalee has 272, 822 registered voters. They cast their votes to elect 138 representatives from a field of 2,368 candidates contesting for 13 local bodies.
Voter turnout in Ampara District was relatively low of 30% in the morning but later the pace picked up towards afternoon reaching 50%.