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Dullas’ personal election campaign hampers work at the Matara election office |
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2009-10-04 | 3.25 PM |
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A senior official from the SLFP headquarters told Lanka News Web that the governing party campaign for the Southern Provincial Council election is in a mess due to clash between Minister Kumara Welgama, who has been appointed as the Chief Coordinator of the Matara election office by the President and Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, who has opened a separate election office in Matara. The official said Minister Welgama has already complained about the issue to the President.
Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has told several close confidantes at a meeting held at Mayura Hotel in Matara recently that he has been asked to take over the leadership of the Matara District as Minister Mahinda Wijesekera would not be contesting the next general election. |
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In this backdrop, Dullas has launched his own campaign targeting the next general election along with the Provincial Council election campaign and has already opened an election office and appointed organizers for the campaign at Pradeshiya Sabha level.
Although only one main election office was maintained by the governing party in each district under the supervision of the President, in Matara there are now two election offices. The situation has created a rift between electoral organizers.
Minister Mahinda Wijesekera’s brother Ranjith Wijesekera has complained that apart from the coordinator appointed to the Devinuwara electorate by the main election office, another coordinator has been appointed to the electorate by Dullas and Ranjith has threatened to chase away Dullas’ representative from Devinuwara if he was not removed immediately.
Dullas had then removed his representative from Devinuwara.
Although the President has requested Dullas to contest the next general election, he has not been appointed as a permanent organizer. The President has appointed one of Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s friends and an American citizen, Chandima Rasaputhra as the organizer of Kamburupitiya, which was Dullas’ former electorate. In the present scenario, Dullas is planning on limiting Chandima Rasaputhra to the Southern Provincial Council and to build himself from Kamburupitiya for the next general election.
Dullas has come forward to help Chandima Rasaputhra in his campaign on an agreement that he would not contest the next general election. According to the agreement, Dullas has promised to get Chandima elected as the Southern Province Chief Minister.
The SLFP official said that Dullas who is concentrating on his election campaign along with the Provincial Council election campaign has even requested the party not to give nominations to his Matara representative Sarath Alwis for the Provincial Council election and to give that slot to K.A. Piyasena (Kirimahattaya), who is a gem merchant. Kirimahattaya has reportedly given Rs. 100 lakhs for Dullas’ election campaign.
The official further said that the results of the Matara District at the Southern Provincial Council election on October 10 would play a decisive role in Dullas’ political future.
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