UPFA provincial councillor Chamara Sampath Dassanayake has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uva Provincial Council.
Dassanayake, the former Provincial Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, takes over from UNP’s Harin Fernando who vacated his seat after being elected to Parliament and recently took oath as a Cabinet Minister.
Fernando was appointed as the Chief Minister in January replacing former chief minister Sashindra Rajapaksa following the request of a majority of council members.
Dassanayake had also contested the parliamentary election and came second in the UFPA Badulla District preference list with 64,418 votes.
However, he has opted to remain in the Uva Provincial Council and to vacate the parliament seat won by him.
Meanwhile it has been reported that former Minister Lakshman Seneviratne is tipped to enter the Parliament from Badulla District to fill the seat vacated by Dassanayake.
