Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake yesterday (28) instructed the Returning Officers of the districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura and Kegalle to ensure that the 51,248 Insured postal voting packets were handed over to the Postal Authorities so that the marking of postal votes could take place on August 8 and 9 as scheduled.

Elections Secretariat sources that over 12,599 postal Voting applications were rejected because the required information was not provided.

Deputy Post Master General R. P. D. Gamini told The Island in the absence of the Post Master General M. K. B. Dissanayake he had instructed the Divisional postal superintendents of the four districts where the PC Elections were being held to make arrangements with the Returning Officers to accept the insured postal voting packets.

Additional Commissioner of Elections (Provincial and Local) W. P. Sumanasiri said yesterday that arrangements had been made to hand over all the Polling cards to the respective Post Offices on August (1) and for the first time the polling cards would carry the NIC number of each and every registered voter.

Senior SLAS officer attached to the Elections Secretariat, Bandula Kulatunga said that all the Electoral Registers and Polling Cards would carry the NIC number of each eligible voter as the NIC has been made compulsory to cast a vote.

Kulatunga said that arrangements had been made by the Commissioner Of Elections for voters who do not have NICs to get an application certified by the Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for the respective district one week before August (23) to receive a special identity card from the Grama Niladhari of his or her area.

Deputy Post Master General R.P.D. Gamini said that arrangements were being made to deliver polling cards from August (2) and requested voters to remain at their places of residence when the special delivery takes place on August (10) Sunday.

Assistant Commissioner of Elections (Colombo) Mahinda Deshapriya said that arrangements were being made to deploy 2,600 Elections Officials from outside areas from as far as Vavuniya, Mannar, Moneragala and Colombo for elections duty to prevent any malpractices and prevent any pressure being brought on them whilst performing their duties.

Deshapriya said that 18,600 elections staff would man the Polling stations whilst 7000 would be deployed to the counting centres assisted by another 5000 member support staff as drivers ,helpers etc.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections for Kegalle District P.A.S.Senaratne had rejected 1188 postal voting applications and accepted 11,070 applications

An officer of the Election Office, Kegalle R.A.C.Ranasinghe said that 231 political Party candidates and 210 Independent group candidates of 11 political Parties and 10 Independent Groups were in the contest with 605, 621 registered voters to vote at 473 Polling stations to elect 18 members from the Kegalle district.

The Asisstant Commissioner of Elections, Ratnapura M.A.B.C.Perera had rejected 1838 postal voting applications and accepted 6762 applications.

Chief Clerk from the same elections office H.M.L.Herath said that 324 Party candidates and 210 Independent group candidates from 12 political Parties and 10 independent Groups were in the contest and 713,205 voters to vote at 541 polling Stations to elect 24 members from the Ratnapura district.

The Assistant Commissioner of Elections Polonnaruwa district W. H. R. Wijayakumara had rejected 3,289 postal voting applications and accepted 7771 applications. There were 130 Political Party candidates and 104 Independent Group candidates of 10 Political Parties and 8 independent groups in the contest with 277,056 voters to cast their votes at 231 Polling stations and elect 10 members from the Polonnaruwa District.