Local election monitors, Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) yesterday said there is urgent need for leaders of Political Parties and Independent Groups to control the 7620 candidates in the contest to elect 196 members to the 7th Parliament.

There was a strong opinion among the public that inter-party rivalry could turn dangerous with most fighting for the highest number of preference votes in a district.

The Executive Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachi said barely a few hours after the conclusion of nominations two groups of candidates from the same party clashed in Walapona town on Friday night resulting in six being injured

"This is a dangerous trend which shows that as the day to the elections draws nearer the situation could get out of control unless nipped in the bud", he noted.

The National Coordinator of the CMEV D. M. Dissanayake said that it is the responsibility of Party Leaders and Leaders of Independent Groups to advise their rank and file as the situation could go out of control with inter rivalry among Candidates fighting for the most number of preference votes in each of the 22 Districts in the country.

Additional Commissioner of Elections (Provincial and Local) W.P.Sumanasiri confirmed that 7620 candidates belonging to 36 Political Parties and 301 Independent Groups had handed in 637 nomination to elect 196 members.

General Secretary of the SLFP Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that if all candidates pledge they would go about their campaign in a disciplinary manner the elections could be held in a free and fair manner.