SLMCC to contest alone in the Eastern PC

Sri Lanka’s leading Muslim Party – Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has announced that it has decided to go all alone in the Eastern Provincial Council election in their party symbol, dropping the earlier arrangement to face the hustings in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance ticket.

“We have changed the idea this morning (17th Tuesday) , after the SLMC Leader Minister Rauf Hakeem met the UPFA hierarchy,” said the SLMC media consultant.

When contacted Dr. A.R.A Hafeez , SLMC media consultant, told Asian Tribune that after reaching an understanding with the UPFA, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is to field candidates of its own in the Eastern Provincial Council and will contest under the SLMC symbol - Tree. This decision was taken with the understanding with the UPFA, he said.

He also said, until yesterday (Tuesday 17th) it was OK and we were to contest in the UPFA ticket.

Accordingly, SLMC candidates were about to sign the nomination papers to contest in the UPFA ticket, but due to some reasons we were to change our mind in contesting in the UPFA ticket, Dr. A.R.A Hafeez said.

He said earlier SLMC was promised 6 candidates for the Ampara district, 3 in Trincomalee, and 3 in Batticaloa. Later on UPFA has pruned it down to 5, 2 & 3.

Subsequently, the SLMC leader took up the issue with the UPFA hierarchy and with the tacit understanding the SLMC has decided contest in the East Provincial Council on its own.

Asian Tribune learnt that the nomination papers to contest all alone was being signed in the presence of the party Secretary General Hassan Ali MP, at the Party Headquarters Darusalam and the nomination papers will be handed over today at the Amparai, Trincomalee and Batticaloa secretariats.

In the 2008 provincial Council election, SLMC contested in the UNP ticket and won 4 councilors in Ampara, 2 in Batticaloa and 3 in Trincomalee district.

SLMC Leader also contested from Trincomalee district and as UNP failed to win the maximum number of seats, Rauf Hakeem’s dream of becoming the Chief Minister did not materialize and he resigned and switched to his parliamentary seat.

- Asian Tribune –