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Tamil nationalist parties feel the popular heat
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Voting in the Vanni, Pic by Romesh Madushanka
NPP winners: Karunanathan Ilankumaran
By S. Rubatheesan
The Jaffna electoral district, once considered a stronghold of Tamil nationalism and dominated by Tamil political parties for decades, is no longer the case with the National Peoples’Power (NPP) led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, winning the electorate securing three seats this week.
This is the first time since independence that a southern political party swept the northern electorate which consists of administrative districts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi, with perhaps an exception being the 1970 municipal elections. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party won the election and its Jaffna District organiser, Alfred Duraiappa, was elected mayor of Jaffna.
Sribavanantharajah Sanmuganatha
“This is a big blow to the Tamil nationalist movement as a whole, said C.V. K.Sivagnanam, senior leader of the grand old Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) which had dominated the district since its inception in 1949. The party secured only one seat along with its rival All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC).
“Our politicians need to do some serious introspection now on this new wave which seemed to have swept the whole country. The internal party rivalries and disputes did significant damage to the party and alienated voters, particularly young voters,” he told the Sunday Times.
With a technician turned trade union activist Karunanathan Ilankumaran as the leading candidate, the NPP returned three seats with the other two being won by Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthi, a school principal and Sribavanantharajah Sanmuganatha, a retired medical administrator. During the parliamentary polls of 2020, the NPP received merely 853 votes in the district while this time, it secured 80,830 votes.
Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthi
The ITAK’s setback was gradual as it won 10 seats at the 2020 polls and now reduced further to eight seats including one bonus seat allocated under the National List.
Surprisingly, the party won the Batticaloa electorate — the only district the NPP lost — with three seats. In Trincomalee, Vanni, and Digamadulla districts, the party secured a seat each.
The one-time grand old Tamil party also saw its strong electoral alliance of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) collapse with constituent parties making their own breakaway groups.
The traditional Tamil vote bank enjoyed by ITAK for decades was also scattered between various breakaway splinter groups and independent groups.
In Jaffna and Vanni electoral districts where six legislators each returned to the House, more than 400 candidates contested from political parties and independent groups. After election results were released, former Jaffna district Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran who failed to get re-elected, met reporters on Monday and acknowledged the party’s setback.
Angajan Ramanathan: Failed to get re elected
“ITAK contested alone in all districts across North and East and won seven seats in total. This is not a defeat for the party. I was not elected this time and I accept the people’s verdict. I will continue to work for the party and people with responsibility. If my assistance is required, I will definitely help them,” Mr Sumanthiran said while stressing that the NPP declared earlier in its manifesto that it plans to introduce a new Constitution.
Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda was voted out ending his three decade-long political career since 1994.
Angajan Ramanathan who made history at the previous parliamentary polls with the highest number of preferential votes in the Jaffna electorate failed to get reelected under the Democratic National Alliance ticket this time.
M.A. Sumanthiran speaking to reporters. Pic by N. Lohathayalan
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