by Shamindra Ferdinando
The TULF led Tamil National Alliance [TNA] wants Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake to set up polling booths in LTTE held areas in the north-east at the forthcoming local government elections in view of the truce between the government and the LTTE, party sources said.

A senior department spokesman said yesterday that they would have to consult the IGP and service commanders before taking a decision. "We will consider polling booths in all areas," the source said.

Ministerial sources said that they do not see any difficulty in having polling booths in all parts of the north-east region as both sides were confident of extending the one-month long cease-fire that came into operation midnight on December 24.

The TNA that secured 15 seats at the December 5 parliamentary elections, believes that the elections expected to be held in March to elect representatives to 18 Municipal Councils, 37 Urban Councils and 256 Pradeshiya Sabhas, would provide a chance to people living in areas outside government control to vote in the same area.

"Voters must not be made to walk miles to cluster polling booths set up in the government controlled areas," a senior TULF leader said reminding that for over a decade, people living in areas outside government held parts in the north-east were prevented from exercising their franchise at polling booths located near their homes. He expressed the belief that the Commissioner would take advantage of the truce to explore the possibility of having polling booths in all parts of the north-east. Cluster polling booths where serious irregularities occurred previously must be a thing of the past, the sources said.

"The LTTE would not oppose that," he expressed the belief while adding that the TULF always opposed setting up of cluster polling booths. Earlier, elections could not be conducted in all parts of the north-east due to problems resulted in by LTTE activity, the sources admitted but the forthcoming elections would be the first time that elections are planned amidst a cease-fire.

At the parliamentary elections, people were even prevented from voting at cluster polling booths as a result of the previous administration closing all entry points to and from the LTTE held area on the day of the elections, Tamil political sources said. Claiming that the LTTE was planning to mount indiscriminate attacks, these entry points were closed to prevent supporters of the TNA living in LTTE held areas from crossing entry points to cast their votes, the sources said.

At the last parliamentary elections, the TNA was the only party to campaign in LTTE held areas.