Sri Lanka, Nov. 20 -- A special feature of the just concluded Presidential election was that 33 out of the total 35 candidates who contested had forfeited their election deposits.

This is by failing to muster the stipulated minimum 5 percent of the total votes cast.

Only the two main candidates were able to muster votes above the stipulated 5 percent.The SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa who won the election polled 52.25 percent of total votes cast while the NDF candidate Sajith Premadasa who came second polled 41.99 percent of the total votes cast.

National Peoples' Power candidate and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who emerged third in the contest, also forfeited his deposit because he only mustered 3.16 percent of the total vo...