Positive results at LG polls in North:

Potential for increased UPFA vote base

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that the outcome of the Local Government election in the North augurs well for the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) as it has secured a good vote base in the North which can be improved further.

This was the first time that the SLFP-led coalition secured support from the North. Although the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had won most of the Local Government bodies in the North, it gained only 39,000 votes. The UPFA has come close to the TNA by securing 30,000 votes, the Minister told the Sunday Observer.

He said this is a significant victory for the UPFA in the North. The UPFA being a national party that had obtained more votes in the North is a strong indication that it has a good future to increase its vote base in the North.

“With the new developments taking place in the North, the next election will be crucial for the TNA. However, if the UPFA can address the rest of the grievances faced by the Tamil community, it has a very good chance of winning the next election,” he said.

Dr. Senaratne said when President Mahinda Rajapaksa successfully addresses the issues of the Tamil community,the fate of the TNA will be the same as that of the UNP. “I am confident that President Rajapaksa would accomplish that too,” he said.

In Sri Lanka’s election history, it was only the UNP and the old Left which had a support base in the North. The SLFP never had any support from the North or from predominantly Tamil areas in the East. This was the first time that the SLFP-led coalition had gained a great deal of support from the North.