Gama for whom - Verdict today

 Sri Lankan voters will go to the polls today to elect members to 339 local authorities, the first of its kind to be held since 2018. The election, though meant to elect members for local governance, has assumed national significance since it is the first to be held after the National People’s Power (NPP) took charge of Sri Lankan politics, inflicting a destructive blow to the two main traditional forces electorally.

Polling will take place at 13,759 stations today, covering 4,877 electoral wards spanning over 339 local authorities—Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas.

Today’s poll will serve as a litmus test of the government’s performance during the past six months, starting from the end of September last year, in terms of policy reforms, eradication of corruption and fraud and economic development.

In the past, the ruling party used to sweep the local elections bar in 2018 when Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a party in the opposition, defeated the ruling United National Party (UNP).

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as the NPP leader, actively participated in the election campaign this time in the hope of taking control of the local bodies. He vowed to break the grip of traditional parties at the local levels. At the last presidential and parliamentary elections, he dug deep into the vote bases of traditional parties. For him, the challenge remains whether he will make renewed gains at this election to drive home the point that voters are still with him. At the last General Election, the NPP polled more than 6.8 million votes. According to Sri Lanka’s electoral culture, voter turnout at local elections is relatively low compared with national elections. As such, a dip in the total number of votes polled is naturally expected at this election today.

No matter what, analysts will extrapolate the results of this election to a national vote share to determine each party’s standing.

Reeling from the defeat at the last two national elections, the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is under fierce pressure to deliver better at this election, as otherwise its flailing leadership will have a hard time.

During the campaign, they argued that the government had failed miserably in delivery, and its pre-election rhetoric was proven hollow beyond doubt.

SLPP, under the leadership of MP Namal Rajapaksa, also campaigned across the country. The party, which once remained the dominant political force in the country, was routed at the last elections. It brought recriminations to the once powerful Rajapaksa family. Young Rajapaksa now faced the challenge of restoring the family's past political glory. He will eye to bag as many votes as possible at this election.

The United National Party (UNP) and Sarvajana Balaya are the other two forces in the fray. After the elections, there is the possibility of opposition parties getting together to outdo the NPP in hung situations.