COLOMBO, Oct 8: A presidential aide and a bodyguard were shot dead during Saturday's local council elections in Sri Lanka's capital in a contest seen as a mid-term test for President Mahinda Rajapakse, police said.

Former ruling party lawmaker and adviser to the president, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to hospital following a clash with a ruling party legislator who was also hurt.

Police said the two men were taken to hospitals along with dozens of their supporters who were also wounded. One of Premachandra's bodyguards was also killed.

Official sources said the pair were slain by a group led by ruling party legislator Duminda Silva, who was also critically wounded in the gunbattle. The two men had been bitter rivals, competing with each other for political influence in Colombo. A curfew was declared in the Kolonnawa area where the shooting took place after supporters of the two groups blocked roads, police said.—AFP