400 STF personnel deployed in Nawalapitiya to ensure re-poll

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 April 2010, 04:34 GMT]
Four hundred personnel of the elite Special Task Force (STF) of the Sri Lanka Police have been deployed in Nawalapitiya electorate in the Kandy district in the central province to quell any disturbances and election malpractice while the re-poll is held on April 20 in thirty four polling stations.

Polling held on April 8 general election in these polling stations were annulled by the Commissioner of Elections following reports that government party gangs led by a minister had chased away polling agents of opposition parties and independent groups and stuffed ballot papers since the poling began in the morning. Election monitoring groups alleged that election officials and police personnel were on duty at that time did not take any steps to stop the election malpractices.

Mano Ganeshan and Rauf Hakim have been contesting the Kandy district from the main opposition United National Party.

Mano Ganeshan is the leader of Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and Rauf Hakim is the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). Their victory depends on the outcome of the Nawalapitiya re-poll, political sources said.