Feature: Sri Lankans in dark on winner of presidential election

by Asanka Fernando

COLOMBO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- With less than one day left for Sri Lanka's key presidential election, there is still no clear indication on the winner of the island's much awaited election, which will be held on Tuesday.

Both camps -- the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the main opposition challenger former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka -- have expressed confidence of winning the main election held after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year.

"Our win is guaranteed," Maithripala Sirisena, the ruling party 's general secretary and senior minister, told reporters on Monday.

"General Fonseka will certainly be elected as the president," Tissa Attanayake, the general secretary of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) countered.

People on the ground at provinces say there is a stiff fight between the two main candidates.

"It is 50-50 here," said Upali Ganhewa, a man from the rural south.

The south is the favorite bastion of the incumbent Rajapaksa. He hails from the south and won nearly 60 percent of the vote from the south in the previous presidential election held in 2005.

A. R. Somadasa, a man from the northcentral Anuradhapura district, said that the opposition challenger had no chance in the district.

"Our Mahinda will win it without a doubt," Somadasa said.

Jeevani Perera, a young female voter from the central town of Kandy, said "the general will be the president."

Kandy, a traditional bank of support for the main opposition United National Party, is expected to favor Fonseka heavily.