M.A. Sumanthiran, a prominent member of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) praised his party's performance in the recent Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, noting how they managed to win a seat in every district in the North-East.
“In the last parliament ITAK held 6 of the seats won by the TNA coalition,” Sumanthiran said at the Jaffna Press Club. “But this time we have won 8 seats while contesting on our own.”
"Through these election results our people have given ITAK a strong mandate,” he claimed, adding that “we are duty bound to thank all those in the north and east who voted for us".
Reflecting on the campaign, Sumanthiran reiterated ITAK’s core principles and the unity of the Tamil homeland. "During the campaign for this election we were clear on one thing. This was that a united North and East is our homeland and we have a right to self determination," he stated, reaffirming the party’s commitment to Tamil self-determination.
He also pointed to ITAK’s success in achieving a key electoral objective. "We stressed during the campaign that a single Tamil party should send representatives from all eight electorates in the north and east. The results have borne that out," he declared.
Sumanthiran’s remarks come despite the former lawmaker himself failing to get elected.