V Mannivannan with TMTK leader C V Wigneswaran
Viswalingham Mannivannan has joined the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) party ahead of the island's local elections.
Mannivannan resigned as Jaffna Mayor last month after his proposed 2023 budget for Jaffna Municipal Council was defeated by seven votes. Mannivannan was previously a Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) member before he was elected as Mayor of Jaffna in December 2020.
Mannivannan was removed from the party prior to the mayoral elections, due to his alliance with the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP).
Sri Lanka is set to hold their first local election by the end of February, after they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sri Lanka's Election Commission reportedly said nominations for over 8,000 councillor positions would be open from January 18 to 21, after which the vote must be held within 28 days.
