NPP makes inroads into Jaffna with ease


M.A. Sumanthiran speaking to reporters. Pic by N. Lohathayalan/ST

By Miriam Alphonsus  


In Jaffna, the NPP secured 25% of the traditional Tamil vote bank belonging to Tamil political parties.

In Vanni, the NPP won Vavuniya, while SJB-ACMC secured Mannar, and ITAK took Mullaitivu in a closely contested Vanni district that ultimately fell to the NPP. With only 20% of the vote, Vanni is the NPP’s slimmest victory.

The Vanni district results too, are in sharp contrast to those of the 2020 general election, when all three polling divisions were comfortably won by ITAK.

As a result of the shift, the NPP has gained two seats and ITAK was reduced to one, which will be taken by a new ITAK face from Mullaitivu, Thurairasa Ravikaran. SJB-ACMC’s Rishad Bathiudeen maintained his position in Mannar. Democratic Tamil National Alliance candidate A. Adaikalanathan and Sri Lanka Labour Party candidate Cader Mastan also received one seat each.

In the East, a patch of yellow emerged, as ITAK took Batticaloa, the only district to not succumb to the purple wave. The NPP won in Trincomalee and Digamadulla.

As a result of ITAK’s success in the Kalkudah and Padiruppu polling divisions, they gained three seats, more than once compared with 2020 Parliamentary polls.

The NPP which emerged victorious in the urban Batticaloa polling division, will send one legislator to parliament as will SLMC. Through ITAK, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam will be the only Batticaloa legislator to return.

SJB’s Imran Maharoof and ITAK’s Shanmugam Kugathasan kept their seats in the previous Parliament, while SJB’s M. S. Thowfeek lost his seat.

In Digamadulla, the SJB-SLMC alliance lost Sammanthurai and Kalmunai to the NPP this time but managed to narrowly keep Pottuvil. Ampara which went to SLPP in 2020, shifted to NPP this time. Overall, NPP won the Digamadulla electoral district with 40% of the vote and obtained four seats.

Compared with the 2020 election, Muslim parties, ACMC and the SLMC, suffered losses winning only one seat each. ITAK made some gains and obtained a single seat from Digamadulla which they did not win in 2020.

Overall, minority parties took heavy losses, particularly in Jaffna and the Vanni where Tamil parties were defeated by the NPP. The NPP secured 12 seats from the North and East while other parties took 16. Unlike other areas, the NPP did not get more than 50% of the vote share anywhere in the North and East. (Courtesy- The Sunday Times

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