Tamil National Alliance Chair Endorses Surprising Candidate for Presidential Election

Sri Lanka's Tamil National Alliance (TNA) faces internal discord as chair S Sritharan endorses P Ariyanethran for the presidential election. Despite previous disciplinary actions against Ariyanethran, Sritharan publicly backs him. The TNA is still undecided on its official stance and awaits main candidates' pledges to address Tamil concerns.

Sri Lanka's main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), is grappling with internal strife following chair S Sritharan's unexpected endorsement of P Ariyanethran for the upcoming presidential election. Sritharan's endorsement comes despite the TNA having previously decided to take disciplinary action against Ariyanethran for submitting his nomination.

Sritharan, who was elected as the TNA's Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) leader in January amid controversy, is now publicly supporting Ariyanethran. This move contradicts the TNA's stance from a recent Politburo meeting, where it resolved to hold Ariyanethran accountable.

The TNA has yet to declare its official support for any main candidates in the contentious presidential race. Senior TNA leader MA Sumanthiran emphasized that any support from the TNA would depend on the candidates' commitments to addressing Tamil-specific concerns. Talks between the TNA and the main candidates are still ongoing, reflecting the party's critical position in a race that features 39 candidates.

(With inputs from agencies.)