President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) senior leader MP Mavai Senathirajah at his residence in Kankasanthurai, Jaffna, on the evening of September 7. During the meeting, Senathirajah expressed confidence in Wickremesinghe’s victory in the upcoming presidential election and his commitment to developing the North.
The meeting occurred as part of Wickremesinghe’s “Puluwan Sri Lanka” campaign visit to Jaffna. Despite this, the ITAK’s position remains controversial. The party, which is a key component of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), had previously declared its support for Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya-led alliance.
TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran announced on September 1 that the ITAK decided to back Premadasa, a decision made at the party’s Central Committee meeting. Additionally, the ITAK has opted not to support Tamil common candidate P. Ariyanenthiran, requesting him to withdraw from the presidential race.
However, ITAK leader Senathirajah has indicated he was not aware of this decision made by the Central Committee.
