UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha yesterday said their nomination lists for the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Councils election will be finalised by July 1.

“We have selected a strong team with fortitude and dedication and we are confident that this team will ensure the UPFA’s victory at the upcoming provincial council election,” he said.

All arrangements are in place to hand over the nominations in respect of each district by July 4, he said. Former Chief Minister candidates Berty Premalal Dissanayake and Mahipala Herath will act as Kegalle and Anuradhapura districts leaders.

The Nominations Board is contemplating appointing leaders to the Ratnapura and Polonnaruwa districts to provide proper guidance to the candidates during the election campaign.

Meanwhile Former North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake told the Daily News that victory is a forgone conclusion for the UPFA which enjoys a formidable position in the province.

The Opposition’s failure to nominate its chief minister candidate and its attempt to parachute an outsider to the fray clearly show how far the party has deteriorated, he said.

“I was born and bred on this soil and know the pulse of the people which an outsider hardly feels. There is no point of parachuting an outsider to the election race as the NCP people are with the UPFA,” he said.

“I have rendered an immense service to the people in NCP and they will reciprocate me in an appropriate way at the election,” he said.