Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya says there is no need to postpone the Uva Provincial Election despite the fact that there is election violence in the province.

Mahinda Deshapriya made these comments after his visit to the Uva Province yesterday. During this visit he claimed that he especially looked into the matters of elections law violations in the Moneragala District which have reportedly gone high.   

The Elections Commissioner, who is in an observation trip in the province, held a meeting with officials of the Human Rights Commission and election officers. Deshapriya also told that the Election Commission and the Police has been totally committed to carry out the election peacefully. Nevertheless he acknowledged that the situation is not 100 percent satisfactory in the Moneragala District.

However, Deshapriya also stressed that the situation is not as bad as what the media is portraying, arguing that media is always on the lookout for the number of complaints but rarely acknowledge what measures have been taken. He refuted the allegations that the election officials and Police have lost civil administration.

Numerous incidents were reported from the Uva Province, especially the Moneragala District, during the past few weeks. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said had earlier challenged the Inspector General of Police claiming that he is incompetent to prevent election violence related to the Uva election.

The Elections Commisionner maintained that he will give special attention to the Moneragala District and that he will take the necessary steps to conduct a peaceful election.