Sri Lanka: Polling brisk in presidential elections (Update:Srilan polls)

Voting in the seventh presidential elections in Sri Lanka is reported to be taking place at a brisk pace.

Barring a few stray incidents of alleged poll code violations, the voting process has so far been declared as being peaceful.

Reports are saying that a hand-grenade was thrown near Point Pedro on the Jaffna Peninsula, but no one has been injured.

As per analysts, a 75 per cent voter turn-out can be expected in what is being projected as a tight contest between 19 presidential candidates, including incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and his former health minister Maithripala Sirisena.

Some analysts are predicting an 80 per cent plus voter turnout.

In past presidential polls, Sri Lanka has seen over 70 percent polling.

The Tamil areas of North and East and the Singhala-Buddhist majority areas of South are all reporting long queues outside polling stations.

Earlier, Indian election observer S Y Quraishi asked the Election Commission to provide for 200 buses for the use of 12000 internally displaced people living in Puttalam, Tamil Nadu, since they are registered in Vavuniya, over 100 kilometers away. Indian poll monitors have also confirmed peaceful polling in all parts of the country.

Essentially, the polls may end up being a direct contest between the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of which Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a part, and Sirisena's opposition New Democratic Front. The former's symbol is the betel leaf, while the latter is the swan.

Rajapaksa is seeking a third consecutive term as president, and had looked unstoppable in terms of popularity with the masses when announced the snap presidential poll for January 8 two months ago.

However, the opposition has repeatedly accused him and his family of skimming large amounts of money from infrastructure projects funded through foreign loans for blatant nepotism. He has been criticised for placing his brothers in key positions and for running the state like a family business.

Srisena, backed by the main opposition United National Party, is expected to win the ethnic minority vote which makes up 30 per cent of the Sri Lanka's population.

Rajapaksa is popular among the Sinhala majority, but Tamils regard him with suspicion and anger.

The Tamil vote may be the turning point.