President Anura Kumara Dissanayake inaugurated the Vadduvakal Bridge project in Mullaitivu, announcing a series of new development initiatives set to begin across the country this September.

The government says it has reduced the cost of the Vadduvakal Bridge project by Rs. 400 million through transparent administration and efficient planning.

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake, speaking at the project’s inauguration, said the bridge was initially estimated at Rs. 1.8 billion but will now be completed at Rs. 1.4 billion. The savings will be redirected to highway development in the Vanni District.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, also addressing the event, said the government is committed to completing projects on schedule and within budget, ensuring that public funds are used responsibly and benefits reach the people without delay.

The new two-lane bridge, located near the Nandikadal Lagoon on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu road, is expected to be completed by September 2027. It will replace the existing unsafe structure that currently serves over 3,000 vehicles daily.

Rathnayake added that Rs. 12.5 billion has been allocated for bridges and highways in the North this year, with further increases expected in 2026. (Newswire)

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The National Peoples’ Power (NPP) has won two (02) seats in the Vanni District under the Preferential voting system.

The preferential votes for the Vanni District are as follows;

NPP – 02 seats

Selvathambi Thilakanathan – 10,652 votes

Arumugam Jegadishwaran – 9,280 votes

ITAK – 01 seat

Thurairasa Ravikumar – 11,215 votes

SJB – 01 seat

Rishad Bathiudeen – 21,018 votes

DTNA – 01 seat

A.Adaikkalanathan – 5,695 votes

SLLP – 01 seat

Cader Masthan – 13,511 votes. (Newswire)

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Former Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is out of Parliament as his party falls short of securing a seat in Hambantota

Former Ministers Ramesh Pathirana and Manusha Nanayakkara are out from Parliament as their party fail to secure a seat in Galle.

First district results: In Galle, the NPP secures the lead with 7 seats, while the SJB and the SLPP each claim 1 seat.

Second district result: In Hambantota, the NPP secures 5 seats, with the SJB and the SLPP each claiming 1 seat.

The National People’s Power (NPP) has dominated the Jaffna polling division securing over 9000 votes in the 2024 General Election. 

The NPP secured 9,066 votes defeating the Illangai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) which only managed 2,582 votes. 

The Vanni District was also dominated by the NPP, which secured 4,371 postal votes, while the ITAK only obtained 2,349 votes. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today ordered the National Election Commission to accept the nomination of Pararajasingham Udayarasa of the Democratic National Alliance for the 2024 General Election.

The nomination of Pararajasingham Udayarasa from Vanni District had previously been rejected by the Returning Officer of Vanni, claiming that it had not been formally submitted.

Thereafter, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court by Pararajasingham Udayarasa and two others.

The petitioners claimed that the District Returning Officer had rejected Pararajasingham Udayarasa’s nomination paper despite all the documents being duly submitted.

Claiming that the decision of the District Returning Officer was against the law, the petitioners requested the court to issue an order invalidating the decision.

Taking into consideration the facts, the Supreme Court ruled that the decision taken to reject the nomination of Pararajasingham Udayarasa was against the law.

The Supreme Court further ordered the Election Commission to take the necessary measures to approve Pararajasingham Udayarasa’s nomination paper.

President’s Counsel M.U.M. Ali Sabry appeared on behalf of the petitioners. (Newswire)

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