Sri Lanka today voted in the parliamentary polls, the first after the military defeat of the LTTE in May last year.According to independent election monitors the voter turnout was estimated at 50 to 55 per cent. The figure appears to be considerably lower than in the presidential election in which nearly 75 percent of the electorate had voted. Election officials could not immediately give a turnout percentage after polls closed at 4 pm today. However, independent election monitors confirmed the comparatively low voter turn out.The Center for Monitoring Election Violence, an independent poll monitoring group, reported scattered election irregularities. The group said that buses carrying ethnic Tamils displaced during the civil war were blocked from traveling to polling stations in the north, and police prevented Tamils from voting in the eastern district of Trincomalee.President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who won a resounding re-election victory three months ago, is hoping to secure a two-thirds majority that would enable him carry out necessary changes in the 1978 constitution. The opposition, which had put a common fight against Mr. Rajapaksa in the January 26 Presidential poll, in disarray and the candidate he defeated in the presidential polls under military detention and facing a court-martial.President’s two brothers and the elder son were on the ballot list, as was Sarath Fonseka despite the fact that he is in military custody and undergoing court martial.The coalition headed by Rajapaksa held 128 seats, thanks to defections from the opposition ranks, in the dissolved 225-member Parliament. A key issue confronting the new government will be how to reconcile with the minority Tamil community following the end of the civil war."We must remember that terrorism is over, and only a strong Parliament can carry development forward and unite the communities," Rajapaksa told state television after casting his vote in his home village of Medamulana in the south.Opposition has however cried foul over the election, accusing the ruling party of illegally using government resources for propaganda and violence and threats against opposition supporters during the campaign.The pro LTTE website Tamilnet has reported a very low voter turnout in Jaffna. According to them due to the disinterest of the people, only 10 per cent of the registered voters came out to exercise their franchise .More than 14 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote, with 7,620 candidates from 36 political parties and 310 independent groups running for parliament.Trends for the election results will be available after midnight .Final results are expected by Friday.