Western Provincial Councillor - Udaya Prabhath Gammanpila who recently defected from the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is to migrate to Australia with his family soon after the Presidential election, reports say.

The two main Presidential candidates entering the fray have pledged before the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka to maintain an election sans violence.

UPFA General Secretary and Minister Susil Premajayantha has declared that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had never made a promise to abolish the Executive Presidency.

The 13.5- acre land owned in Narahenpita by the National Milk Board (Milco) has been sold to Softlogic Holdings to build an international hospital, reports say.

The majority of MPs and provincial Councillors in the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) have decided to quit the government and support the Common candidate Maithripala Sirisena, the 'Irida Divaina' newspaper reports.

Udaya Gammanpila, who defected the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to support Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa, is likely to be appointed as the Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council (WPC) in the future, government sources say.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was compelled to halt his speech midway at the public rally in Dambulla last evening (13), due to a commotion caused by a group of drunk persons, reports say.