TNA to contest local elections in North

THE Tamil National Alliance, the largest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, has submitted its nominations for the forthcoming municipal council elections in Jaffna and Vavuniya.

The local government polls will take place in Jaffna and Vavuniya, on August 8. Both municipalities last held elections 11 years ago, and the election date will coincide with a provincial-level poll in the southern province of Uva, the Elections Department said.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian, Mavai Senathirajah submitted Thursday, June 25 the list of TNA nomination list of 29 candidates contesting Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election with Mudiyappu Remedius, a leading lawyer and a human rights activist as its principal candidate, under ‘House’ symbol of Ilangkaith Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi.

The list includes one Muslim and four women candidates.

Besides Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MPs Suresh Premachandran, Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam and Solomon Cyril were also present at the event in Jaffna.

Meanwhile, the TNA parliamentarians N. Sivasakthy Ananathan and S. Vino Noharathalingam fielded S.N.G Nathan as principal candidate for the list for Vavuniyaa Urban Council Wednesday, June 23.

After filing nominations in Jaffna the TNA held a press conference.

In the press conference, declaring that a liberation struggle never fails, Premachandran added that the struggle will be spearheaded in democratic ways and new strategies will be designed soon in this regard.

"A vicious propaganda is being made that the TNA is divided, but we stand together in all respect and take decisions in our central committee," Suresh Premachandran told reporters.

The government wants to fake the elections in Jaffna just like it faked the elections in the Eastern Province. The aim of the government, which is facing an economic crisis is to show 'support' of Tamils to it to the outside world and to beg for money. People have to strengthen Tamil hands and defeat the duplicity of the government begging in the name of Tamils, the TNA parliamentarians said.

"We have a three point agenda of demands in the election: immediate attention to the human catastrophe caused by the war, political solution and re-building the Jaffna city," the parliamentarians said.

Earlier, ruling UPFA, United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and two independent group, one headed by Abimanasingham Manickasothy and the other formed by displaced Muslims of Jaffna have tendered their lists of nomination.

A three-party coalition consisting of EPRLF Varathar front, PLOTE and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) also tendered its nomination list with Veerasingham Anandasangaree as its principal candidate.

Another independent group submitted its list of nomination with Arumugam Sellathurai as its principal candidate to the election officer in Jaffna Secretariat Thursday.