SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that the resounding victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential elections had boosted the morale of UPFA members to face the challenge offered by the demoralized opposition forces with much confidence at the forthcoming Parliamentary elections, Party, sources said yesterday

The Administrative Secretary of the SLFP S. H. Ariyasena said yesterday that all members of the SLFP who wished to contest at the forthcoming Parliamentary elections should forward their applications to SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena on or before February 5.

Ariyasena said that three Nomination Boards Chaired by Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, W. D. J. Seneviratne and Anura Priyadharshana Yapa had been appointed by party leader President Mahinda Rajapaksa to process the applications. They had been instructed to give more weightage to the youth.

He said that the Nomination Board for Wayamba, North Central, Eastern and Northern Provinces chaired by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and comprising Ministers Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Athauda Seneviratne, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Piyasena Gamage and Saliya Mathew as Legal advisor would meet at Mahaweli Centre auditorium on Monday (February 8) at 10am to process the applications.

On the same day (February 8) the Nomination Board for the Western, Central and Uva Provinces chaired by Minister W. D. J. Seneviratne and comprising Minister S. B. Nawinne, Governor Alavi Mowlana, Chief Minister Mahipala Herath, Deputy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and D. P. Mendis as Legal advisor would meet to process the applications of contestants in the relevant provinces.

The Nomination Board for the Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces chaired by Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and comprising Ministers T. B. Ekanayake, A. H. M. Fowzie, Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Deputy Minister Mahinda Ananda Aluthgamage and Champanie Padmasekera as Legal Advisor would meet at the Mahaweli Centre auditorium on Tuesday (February 9) commencing at 10am to process the applications.

The Appeal Board for nominations will be chaired by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Peoples Alliance General Secretary, Minister D. M. Jayaratne, UPFA General Secretary, Minister Susil Premajayanth, SLFP Treasurer, Minister Dulles Alahapperuma, Senior Presidential Advisor, MP Basil Rajapaksa and W. A. Karunajeeva as Legal advisor will meet continuously during the period of processing applications.