(UTV | COLOMBO) – A complaint was filed by the Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen at the Human Rights Commission Sri Lanka (HRCSL) yesterday (18) against malpractices at the last Parliamentary Elections.
The complaint was regarding the 7,727 voters who were prevented intentionally from voting in their ancestral villages.
It was mentioned in the complaint that there had been no action taken to a letter previously sent to the Election Commission on the same issue.
The removal of 7,727 voters from the Northern Province’s Electoral List is a violation of a basic human right, claimed the former Minister.
The ACMC Leader wrote to the Elections Commission, condemning the unjust act of removing the names of 7,727 residents originally from the Northern District and demanded that necessary steps be taken to register the individuals in their native electoral lists.
Bathiudeen indicated that although many individuals displaced by the armed conflict had since been resettled in their home towns, many have been temporarily relocated to Puttalam due to inadequate infrastructure development. He argued that individuals registered in the Northern Province were able to vote in Puttalam in previous elections, and demanded that the same be done going forward.
During the Parliamentary Elections in August 2020, provisions were made for over 6,000 residents from Mannar to vote in Puttalam.