by J> JAGANAATHAN
In the recently held local body elections in the Tamil-dominated Northern provinces of Sri Lanka the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was ruthlessly routed by Tamil National Alliance (TNA)-an umbrella political alliance for Tamils in Sri Lanka-which won 18 out of 26 seats. This is the first election in the war-torn Northern and Eastern Province ever since LTTE was defeated in war two-and-half years ago.
The electoral results may have been construed by different stakeholders in different ways to suit their agenda, but the big question is what does the electoral victory of TNA mean for the political fate of Tamils in Sri Lanka? Will TNA emerge as the sole political representative for Tamils replacing LTTE? Will the result strengthen the alliances’ unity so that they can raise the political grievances of Tamils in a single voice?
This article critically analyzes the election results and examines its impact on Tamil politics in Sri Lanka. The elections were held amidst increasing international pressure on Sri Lankan government over the UN expert panel report allegations on war crimes and human rights abuses during the war. In this context, the election results therefore, innately carry supplementary meanings for the future of Tamils.
Politically, the North East Province is one of the most sensitive provinces of Sri Lanka. The region was once under the control of Tamil tigers, which regarded the province as the ‘Land of Tamil Elam’. The majority of the population are Sri Lankan Tamils -97 percent in north and 40 percent in the east-and rest comprises of Sinhalese and Moors. Geographically, this province served as a fortress for LTTE because of its C shape landscape encircling rest of the country. LTTE was never defeated militarily by Sri Lanka until 2009 because of the geo-strategic advantage it enjoyed in defending against any military campaign.
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