TNA said leading in Trincomalee electoral district

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 April 2004, 00:19 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is reported to be leading by more than two thousand votes in the Trincomalee electoral district in the final count which is in progress Saturday early morning. TNA is now expected to capture two parliamentary seats for the first time under the district proportionate system, Tamil sources said.

Upto now the TNA has polled about 70 thousand votes and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is with about 68 thousand votes in the second place, reliable sources from the counting office said.

The UFPA and the UNP have polled roughly about thirty thousand and twelve thousand respectively, sources said.

Under the district proportionate electoral system a political party or an independent group that polled highest number votes in an electoral district will be given a parliamentary seat as bonus seat and other seats on the votes it received.

Accordingly with the votes counted so far the TNA is almost likely to get the bonus seat and the second parliamentary seat, informed sources said.

The result of the Trincomalee district is not yet officially announced.

In the 2001 December general election the United National Party polled the highest number of votes in the Trincomalee district and captured two parliamentary seats and the TNA got one seat and Peoples Alliance one seat.

2001 December general election result follows: -

UNP- 62,915
TNA-56, 119
PA -32992
JVP-8094,
EPDP-1470
New Left Front-617
Sihala Urumaya- 202
National Development Front- 165,
Sri Lanka Muslim United Front- 113,
United Sinhala Maha Sabah- 100,
Liberal Party-99

In the 2001 December general election the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress contested in the UNP ticket. In this ( 2004 ) election Muslims in the UNP and PA contested in the SLMC ticket.No Muslim candidates contested in the UNP and the UPFA.