By Anura Balasuriya
Several government and allied MPs would be given deputy ministerial posts within the next couple of weeks, government sources said.
They said preference would be given to those who had held office in provincial ministries and who had polled the highest number of votes at the last general elections.
Several leaders of parties, allied with the ruling party too would be given deputy ministerial portfolios.
Several MPs who obtained the highest number of preferential votes in their respective districts, recently made a request to the President that they be promoted to deputy minister level. The UPFA leadership has decided to respond to the request positively and their request would be granted in the next few weeks, the sources said.
Among those to be promoted as deputy ministers are Hemal Gunasekera, V. K. Indika, Neranjan Wickremasinghe who had held provincial ministerial posts several times, allied party leaders P. Digambaram, Prabha Ganeshan and district highest number of preferential vote receivers Nishantha Mutuhettigama, Sanath Jaysuriya, Sarath Weerasekera, Lakshman Wasantha Perera.
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