Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, the leader of the independent group composed of rehabilitated former LTTE cadres, voted this morning in Jaffna.

Vithyatharan, a former editor of the Uthayan, casted his vote at Jaffna Primary School.

The rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres had asked for nominations through the TNA. After they were denied nominations through the TNA, this group decided to contest as an independent group.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa casted his vote for the 2015 General Election at Medamulana D. A. Rajapaksa Vidyalaya today.

Meanwhile, UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe casted his vote at the Colombo University. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake casted his vote at Abeysingharamaya, Panchikawatte, Colombo.

Considerable enthusiasm was reported among voters in Anuradhapura District today, with 40 percent of the voters reportedly casting their votes within four hours after the polling began at 7.00am.

The voters showed a marked enthusiasm to vote in Anuradhapura town as well.

However, the enthusiasm in Polonnaruwa was much less, with just 25 percent reported to have casted their vote during the same time period.

Polonnaruwa is the native district of President Maithripala Sirisena.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told media that an inquiry will be held into a false news which spread through social media last night and today.

The image showed the Commissioner inspecting some ballot papers. It was claimed that these were discovered last night in Colombo.

However, Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said that this was an image from 2013, where a set of marked ballot papers were discovered in Puttalam.

He asked the public not to spread the news by sharing it on Facebook. An inquiry will be held to ascertain those who are responsible, he added.

Hatton Police raided a UPFA elections office today, following a complaint that the office was exhibiting the preferential numbers of candidates in violation of election law.

The office reportedly had exhibited the preferencial numbers from yesterday.

It is illegal to exhibit the preference numbers of candidates after the election campaign period ended at midnight on August 14.

The general election takes place today and is reported to be peaceful upto now. There was considerable enthusiasm among voters to exercise their franschise today, especially among the Estate Workers in the Nuwara Eliya District.

The wedding of a youth from Sigiriya and his Japanese girlfriend was scheduled for August 17, the election day. Therefore, they arrived at the polling station before leaving for their wedding, in full costume. (Pic Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa)

The general election was conducted peacefully in the first 90 minutes of voting, Campaign for Free and Fair Election Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon said.

In a statement, Tennakoon said that the distribution of small cards has happened in many places around the country. However, no serious incident was reported until 8.30am, he added.

Meanwhile, Tennokoon added that a number of persons have been arrested last nigh on allegations of election law violations. He also said that citizens should carry out their duty by complaining to the police and the observers if there is any incident of election law violations.

A considerable interest was seen among the estate workers in the Nuwara Eliya District to vote early in the general election today.

Voters turned up early morning to vote in the election to elect eight MPs from the district. The election takes place across 423 polling stations. In Nuwara Eliya District, 534,150 are eligible to vote. There are 253 candidates in the district.

The General Election began today at 7.00am to elect a new parliament. The election will continue until 4.00pm today.

A total of 6451 candidates are competing in 22 Electoral Districts to be elected to the 225 member parliament. 15,444,490 voters are eligible to cast their votes in 12,314 polling stations.

Security is tight for the election, with two armed policemen stationed in each polling station. Furthermore police mobile units have also been deployed.

Mahinda Rajapaksa is on the campaign trail. In the run-up to a crucial parliamentary election tomorrow, he is doing what he does best: making speeches, holding children, talking to the elderly and, inevitably these days, grinning for selfies.

In Kantale, a small town in the eastern Trincomalee district, about 6,000 people have turned out to see the veteran politician.

“He is the leader that brought dignity to this country ... we could hold our heads high because of him. He took on terrorism and was the first leader ever to defeat terrorism,” said Chandrasiri Gamalath, a 47-year-old paddy farmer who had traveled 40km to see Rajapaksa in action.

The stakes are high for Rajapaksa, who was ousted as president after calling a snap election in January with the aim of winning a third term. If he, and his numerous relatives, cannot gather genuine mass support in Monday’s poll, his comeback bid will have failed.

“There is unfinished business from January. Does the country want the Rajapaksas back in some shape or form?” asked Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, a well-known local analyst.

The most recent surveys indicate only moderate support for the 69-year-old candidate. “There doesn’t appear to be a big groundswell,” Savanaramuttu said.