Tamil nation-oriented parties challenged in East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 August 2020, 17:22 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is set to win six of thirteen seats of the Northern province in the SL Parliament. The competing Tamil national rights-oriented parties, the TNPF (Tamil Congress) and Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) would be securing one seat each, electing a federalism-oriented majority of eight Tamil parliamentarians from the province. However, in the most populous Eastern province with a significant mix of Sinhala and Muslim voters, the TNA is gaining only three of sixteen seats, two in Batticaloa and one in Trincomalee, entirely losing Ampaa'rai. Former paramilitary operative Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna waged an anti-Muslim campaign in Ampaa'rai to woo the voters, making his opportunistic politics out of the collective failure by the TNA, TNPF and the TMTK in the East.

If Karuna gets elected through anti-Muslim votes in Ampaa'rai, it would be a severe blow to Tamil rights-oriented politics, activists in Batticaloa commented.

The TMVP led by imprisoned Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan has polled almost 68,000 votes compared to TNA’s 79,000 votes in the district of Batticaloa.

Although the TNA seems to secure two seats in the district, the SLPP of Rajapaksa-regime is also set to capture one seat through its Tamil collaborators, making the SLPP and the TMVP to challenge the TNA jointly.

The so-called ‘development’ and opportunistic politics is seriously challenging the Tamil rights-oriented politics in the East, political observers in Batticaloa commented further.

They blamed the TNA, TNPF and the TMTK for faulting the Tamil nation-oriented representation.

Sinhala colonists in North have voted for SLPP in Vanni capturing one seat. Tamil-speaking Muslims have overwhelmingly voted for SJB, which is led by Sajith Premadasa.

The EPDP has gained a seat in Vanni for the first time, through a former LTTE member who had joined hands with the EPDP after withdrawing his support to the TNA.

The SLPP led by Rajapaksa siblings is set to make a sweeping victory in the South.

Final results are expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday.

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