TPF on UNP ticket

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Tamil Progressive Front (TPF), the three party alliance of the Indian origin community, is contesting on the UNP ticket under the Elephant symbol in Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Badulla, Colombo, Ratnapura and Gampaha electoral districts.

Mano Ganeshan, leader of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), one of the constituents, is contesting in the Colombo district while leaders of the other two constituents - National Union of Workers (NUW) and the Up-country People’s Front (UPF) Minister P. Thigamparam and State Minister V. Radhakrishnan are contesting in the Nuwara Eliya district.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), led by R.Sampanthan, that was earlier planning to contest in Colombo and Gampaha with the UNP under the Elephant symbol in consultation with TPF Convenor Mano Ganeshan has now dropped the idea , party spokesman Suresh Premachandran told the Sunday Observer.

The TNA has already filed nominations to contest the Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts.

In a new turn of events, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the oldest Tamil political party led by veteran Tamil leader V. Ananda Sangaree is contesting the Colombo district with Sangaree as the chief candidate, party sources said.

A Deputy Minister under the first Mahinda Rajapaksa government and UPFA member of the incumbent Uva Provincial Council Suresh Vadivelu who recently crossed over to the UNP, is also contesting on the UNP ticket in the Badulla electoral district.

The UPFA has also fielded a Tamil and a Muslim candidate in the Badulla district, according to reports.