Tamil groups to contest council elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The PLOTE is to contest the Jaffna Municipal council elections. A spokesman of this ex-Tamil militant group said today that its military wing leader Manikkam Daasan will file nominations at the Jaffna Kachcheri as its mayoral candidate. The TULF's politburo will meet on Sunday morning to take a decision about contesting the local polls in the peninsula.

A party leader said today that there is a strong feeling in the party that it made a mistake in not contesting the local government elections in the east in March 1994.

Unless there is some unforeseen development, the TULF politburo is strongly inclined to take part in the polls either directly or indirectly he said.

The EPRLF will contest despite its statements in the Tamil press today criticising the government's decision, said an activist of the group who spoke on condition of anonymity.

TELO leader K. Sivajilingam told the press this morning that holding the elections in Jaffna is meaningless as there is no civil administration there.

The EPDP did not say anything about the polls until this evening.

But observers feel that if the government were to insist on holding the elections, both TELO and EPDP will contest without much hesitation.

The EROS spokesman Sudha Master said that his organisation will contest if there is an election coalition among the Tamil groups.

Related Articles:
03.12.97   Nominations called for local elections in Jaffna