National People’s Power (NPP) Gampaha District Team Leader Vijitha Herath has received the highest number of preference votes in the history of Sri Lanka’s parliamentary polls with an unprecedented 716,715 votes polled at the 2024 General Election.  

Accordingly, this is the highest number of preferential votes gained by a candidate in the General Election in Sri Lanka’s history and shatters a record set earlier today by fellow NPP candidate and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, when the preferential votes results of the Colombo District were announced. 

She had received a staggering 655,289 votes in total and in doing so had set a new record for the most preference votes received by a candidate in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election history. 
 
She had broken the record for the highest number of preference votes obtained by a parliamentary candidate which was held by former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who polled 527,364 votes in the 2020 General Election after contesting from the Kurunegala District. 

However, Herath has now surpassed that record when the results of the Gampaha District was released this evening (15) showing that he has polled a total of 716,715 preference votes. 

NPP had secured 16 seats in the Gampaha District compared to the SJB’s 3 seats which were won by Harshana Rajakaruna, Kavinda Jayawardena and Amila Prasad.

National People’s Power (16 Seats)

1. Vijitha Herath - 716,715
2. Anil Jayantha - 162,433,
3. Mahinda Jayasinghe - 137,315
4. Krishantha Abeysena - 121,825
5. Muneer Mulafar - 109,815
6. Ashoka Ranwala - 109,332  
7. Dharmappriya Wijesinghe - 83,061
8. Ruwan Mapalagama - 78,673
9. Lasith Bashana - 74,058
10. Prageeth Maduranga - 70,887
11. Champika Hettiarachchi - 70,373
12. Ruwanthilake Jayakodi - 68,210
13. Hemali Weerasekara - 66,737
14. Upali Abeywickrama - 60,595
15. Stephani Fernando - 57,634
16. Chaminda Lalith Kumara - 53,451

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (3 Seats)

1. Harshana Rajakaruna - 67,004
2. Kavinda Jayawardena - 37,595
3. Amila Prasad - 23,699