Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa called on voters to endorse his ongoing military campaign against Tamil rebels ahead of a crucial provincial poll on Saturday.

Rajapaksa's comments came hours before campaigning for Saturday's election in two of Sri Lanka's nine provinces was due to end Wednesday night in keeping with local election laws.

About 2.1 million voters are eligible to vote for the provincial councils in the North Central Province, 280 kilometres north-east of Colombo, and Sabaragamuwa province, 100 kilometres south-east of the capital.

Speaking on television Tuesday night Rajapaksa told voters the government needed their "endorsement to carry on with the military campaign."

Rajapaksa's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is focusing its campaign on the military's achievements who recaptured rebel-held areas in the east and are now advancing in the northern province, claiming they were to end Tamil terrorism by the end of the year.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said Monday the army could take a key rebel stronghold before the elections and called for public support.

But the main opposition United National Party (UNP) which, when in office, was instrumental in introducing a Norwegian-backed cease-fire in 2002, criticized the government for misusing the military achievements for political purposes.

"We do not want to see the government setting military targets for political purposes", UNP's chief candidate for the North Central Province Janaka Perera said.

As the campaigning ends, at least 127 poll-related complaints have been lodged by various political parties, election monitoring groups said. Among the incidents reported were shootings, setting fire to vehicles, intimidating voters and damaging party offices.

President Rajapaksa is set to hold elections in six provinces soon. The UFPA won the polls the polls in the eastern province which were held in May. (dpa)