Aug 23, Colombo: The polls for the North-Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council Elections opened this morning at 7: 00 a.m. amid heavy security in the provinces.

Voting will continue until 4:00 p.m. at 758 polling stations in the North Central Province and at 1,014 stations in the Sabaragamuwa Province. A total of 2,165,280 voters are eligible to vote at 1,772 polling centers in the two provinces.

A total of 21,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order and provide security to the voters while another 30,000 officials are assigned for election duty in the two provinces.

Election department officials said the counting of postal votes will begin immediately after the polls close at 4:30 p.m. while the counting of ballot papers will begin around 8:30 p.m.

The postal votes will be released first in terms of the four districts in the two provinces followed by the results of the 27 electoral divisions. Thereafter the number of councilors elected from each political party and/or independent group will be announced.

The Department of Government Information said it has made all necessary arrangements to post the official results of the elections for the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils on the Official Government News Portal at www.news.lk.