The JVP yesterday accused the government of abusing State property, power, resources and media to win Saturday’s Western Provicial Council elections. In the Colombo District certain underworld figures had become a law unto themselves during elections, it said.

The JVP was of the view that around 43 per cent of voters had not cast their votes, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a media conference held in Pitakotte yesterday.

Silva said that although several incidents of intimidation, killing and preventing voters going to the polling booths had been reported to police, no action had been taken. The provincial council election was neither free nor fair because election rules and regulations had been flagrantly violated by the UPFA government, the JVP said.

He pointed out that although Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka wanted to hold the elections democratically, he was unable to get the support of the police when needed. Non-governmental media organizations were not allowed to report and state media had dominated the coverage of the elections.

Silva said that the JVP would never approve of such incidents under a democratically elected government and would urge the authorities to bring the culprits to book without delay.