Pakiyaselvam Ariyanethran Named Common Candidate for Sri Lankan Tamil Parties

Pakiyaselvam Ariyanethran, a former Member of Parliament, has been designated as the common candidate by several Sri Lankan Tamil parties for the upcoming September 21 presidential election. However, the main Tamil party, ITAK, is not supporting his candidacy, which has led to some internal controversy.

Pakiyaselvam Ariyanethran was named on Thursday as the common candidate for the September 21 presidential election by a coalition of Sri Lankan Tamil parties. The main Tamil party, ITAK, withheld support, raising internal controversy.

Ariyanethran, 69, a former Member of Parliament, was announced as the candidate in Jaffna. North and east Tamil parties, including TELO, PLOTE, TPA, TNP, and EPRLF, along with the Tamil People's Congress Association, agreed on his nomination in mid-July.

ITAK, which leads the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), opposed the decision, arguing it would weaken the Tamil minority's position. In contrast, Tamils have historically supported opposition candidates. The election now sees Namal Rajapaksa, President Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake entering the fray.

(With inputs from agencies.)