Several elected parliamentarians not among ministers

COLOMBO (News1st): Several elected parliamentarians were not granted ministerial portfolios on Wednesday. Former president Maithripala Sirisena who secured the highest number of preferential votes from the Polonnaruwa District at this year's election. Other elected lawmakers include Professor Tissa Vitharana, S.B.Dissanayake, John Senevirathne, Chandima Weerakkody and Dr Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. Susil Premajayanth, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Dilan Perera, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Jayarathna Herath and Jagath Pushpakumara were also not appointed as ministers. Dushmantha Mithrapala and Rohana Dissanayake were not presented with ministerial portfolios either. Meanwhile, several parliamentarians elected for the first time were appointed as state ministers. They are Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Prof. Channa Jayasumana, Shashendra Rajapaksa and Jeevan Thondaman. Further, several national list parliamentarians who entered Parliament for the first time such as Dr. Seetha Arambepola, PC Ali Sabry and Ajith Nivard Cabraal were appointed as ministers.