The delay in the publication of the Gazette notification pertaining to the upcoming Local Government election, is due to the creation of a new polling division within the Nuwara Eliya Electoral district, officials told the Daily News.
“We have received a request from political parties calling on the Ministry to create and enlist Ambagamuwa as a new polling division within the Nuwara Eliya Electoral District,” Provincial Council and Local Government Ministry Secretary Kamal Pathmasiri said.
“We have taken these requests into consideration and have proposed several recommendations,”he said.
Pathmasiri said within the Nuwara Eliya Electoral district, Ambagamuwa is densely populated with more than a 100,000 registered voters, which he said is a huge number for a single Divisional Secretariat.
“There is a need to break this and since the request is from the political parties, the Ministry is considering it. Any amendment will need to be incorporated in the gazette notification, which is why there is a slight delay.”
“Usually a polling division would have around 50,000 voters, but since this is a congested and densely populated area, parties have made the request to create a new polling division.” There are four polling divisions presently within the Nuwara Eliya electoral district, this includes Hanguranketha, Kotmale, Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya and Walapane. According to the Census and Statistics Department, in 2012 the population of Ambagamuwa was 205,723 and had a ratio of 47.4% male and 52.6% females respectively.