By DBS Jeyaraj/Daily Mirror
Colombo, May 24 – The Island wide Local Government elections held on May 6th was perceived as a twin test to gauge whether the NPP/JVP Govt. still retained its popularity and whether the Anura wave had lost its vigour or not. The results showed that the Anura wave was somewhat ebbing while the NPP was losing its sheen. Nevertheless, the Local authority elections proved clearly that the JVP-led NPP was still the top political party in Sri Lanka and that the Anura wave had not receded completely yet.
The NPP polled 4 ,503,930 (43.26%) votes in the Local authority polls and finished on top in 265 local councils. 3,926 councillors were elected from the NPP to the Municipal, Urban and Divisional councils. When contrasted with the 2024 parliamentary poll in which the JVP led NPP polled 6,863,186(61.56%0 votes, the Local poll result shows a huge vote drop in just 6 months.
However, when compared with the JVP performance in the 2018 local poll results, the 2025 local govt. election results are a gigantic leap for the party. In 2018, the JVP polled only 710,932 (5.75%) votes obtaining 434 councillors. It failed to capture a single council.
If the Island wide local authority polls on a national scale could be regarded as the major battle, the local govt. polls in the Tamil areas of the Northern and Eastern provinces could be described as a minor battle. The local govt. elections in the Tamil areas of the North and East were a test to ascertain whether the JVP-led NPP was yet a force to be reckoned with in the North–Eastern Tamil areas.
The NPP tied with the Ilankiai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) in electing the highest number of Sri Lankan Tamil MPs from the northern and eastern provinces in 2024. Both parties elected seven Tamil MPs each from the north and east. The NPP got three Tamil MPs in Jaffna and two in the Wanni. It also got a Tamil MP each from the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. The ITAK got three MPs in Batticaloa and one each from the Wanni, Jaffna, Amparai and Trincomalee electoral districts.
After the 2024 Parliamentary poll, the JVP has been triumphantly proclaiming that the North-eastern Tamils have rejected the traditional Tamil nationalist parties and opted for the “Thisaikaatty” or compass. The 2025 local polls provided an opportunity to confirm or disprove this claim .
Tamil nationalist parties
As such the local polls afforded the Tamil nationalist parties another chance to get the better of the JVP-led NPP . Even though the JVP-NPP won several MP seats in Tamil areas, it was a fact that the Tamil parties were deeply divided in the 2024 Parliamentary poll. Their votes were fragmented. Tamil parties have stated later that their comparatively poor showing at the 2024 parliamentary poll was due to this disunity in Tamil ranks.
Arithmetical arguments have been propounded that if the votes polled by different Tamil parties and independent groups were heaped together, that would have been more than double the number of JVP/NPP votes in the north and east. Some even said that Tamil voters punished them for their lack of unity by voting for the Compass in 2024.
In spite of their assertion that disunity was the cause of their decline in 2024, the Tamil parties were unable to form a singular, united front for the local elections. The ITAK known in English as the Federal Party (FP), faced the local polls alone under its House symbol. The ITAK/FP position was that given the voting system of 60% directly elected Ward members and 40% members based on proportional representation, it would be better for political parties to contest separately. The Tamil parties could unite after polls to either form a stable administration or prevent the JVP/NPP from forming an administration. The ITAK/FP said it was keeping its options open for inter-party unity in a post-election scenario.
Two broad alliances were formed by significant non-ITAK Tamil nationalist parties. One was the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) contesting under the Sangu or Conch symbol. The other was the Thamil Theseeya Paeravai contesting under the Ahila Ilankai Tamil Congress (AITC) Symbol of Cycle. The DTNA consisted of parties like the EPRLF, TELO, PLOTE, Crusaders for Democracy and Samathuvak Katchi. The Tamil National People’s Front-led Thamil Theseeyap Peravai constituted parties like the Thamil Theseeyak Katchi, Pasumaith Thaayaga Iyakkam and Jananaayagath Thamil Arasuk Katchi.
In addition to the ITAK and the two alliances, several other political parties and independent groups also plunged into the electoral fray. Among these were the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party Thamil Makkal Koottamaippu, Kizhakku Thamizhar Koottamaippu and some Independent groups.
Under these circumstances, the local authority polls in the Tamil areas of the North and East transformed into an arena where two sets of electoral battles were fought. In one, the JVP led NPP was pitted against Tamil nationalist parties and groups. In the other, Tamil political parties competed among themselves to be recognised as the numero uno among Tamil nationalist parties.
In the tussle between the NPP and the Tamil nationalist parties, the results were a mixed bag. As in the case of the Parliamentary elections, the combined votes of the Tamil nationalist parties was much greater than what the NPP garnered. In fact the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK), Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) and the Thamil Theseeyap Paeravai(TTP) almost doubled the votes they got at the parliamentary elections. In contrast the NPP got less than the number of votes it polled in the parliamentary hustings.
NPP and the ITAK
The main competition in the North-East was between the NPP and the ITAK. As mentioned earlier, both the NPP and ITAK got seven Tamil MPs in the 2024 Parliamentary election. The NPP got five in the north and two in the East. The ITAK on the other hand got five in the east and two in the north. Interestingly, it was only the NPP and ITAK whose nominated candidate lists for North-eastern local councils were accepted in full by the election department officials. Most of the other party lists were rejected at least in some areas. Even the ITAK list in a Pradeshiya Sabha in Mannar was rejected first but subsequently accepted.
The electoral performances of the NPP and the ITAK in the eight districts of the Northern and Eastern provinces was interesting. The ITAK polled the highest in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitheevu and Batticaloa The NPP polled the most in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Amparai and Trincomalee. Thus both parties were even winning four districts each.
What is noteworthy in this is that the NPP obtained votes from the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities of both provinces while the ITAK relied mostly on Tamil votes. Tamils are more than 70% of the population in the district of Batticaloa and all five districts in the North. In districts like Jaffna and Kilinochchi they are more than 90%. However in the districts of Trincomalee and Amparai, Tamils are only 26 % and 19% of the population respectively.
Viewed against this backdrop the ITAK topped in Jaffna with 88,443 (31.95%)votes. Altogether the ITAK got 135 councillors elected in the 17 local authorities of Jaffna. The NPP on the other hand got 56,615 (20.45%) votes and had 81 councillors elected.
In Kilinochchi the ITAK polled 29,173 (48.80%) and elected 36 members of local govt councils. The NPP polled 10,552 (17.65%)votes and got 12 councillors.
In Batticaloa the ITAK polled 91,818 (32.25%)votes and got 85 members. 85 ITAK councillors were elected in Batticaloa. The NPP in Batticaloa polled 53,002 (18.62%) votes with 44 councillors.
In Mullaitheevu district the ITAK obtained 20,080 (37.83%) votes. 26 councillors were elected. The NPP got 9,534 (17.96%) votes and 12 councillors.
Mannar district saw the NPP coming out on top. The NPP got 14,133 (21.09%) votes and had 19 councillors. The ITAK came third (SJB was 2nd) with 11,056 (16.50%) votes and 18 councillors
The NPP was first in the Vavuniya district also. The NPP got 17,984 (22.24%) votes with 26 councillors. The ITAK polled 13,385 (16.55%) votes and got 16 councillors.
The NPP topped the multi-ethnic Trincomalee and Amparai districts. In Trinco the NPP got 52,569 (24.34%) votes and 68 councillors. The ITAK polled 31,394 (14.53%) votes and got 36 councillors. In Amparai the NPP polled 92,579 (29.24%) votes and got 114 councillors. The ITAK polled 22,308 (7.95%) votes with 25 councillors. As stated earlier the Tamil population in Amparai and Trincomalee is 19% and 26% respectively.
It could be seen therefore that the direct electoral fight in the North and East was between the NPP/JVP and the ITAK/FP. The NPP polled 307, 968 votes in the local authority elections held in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The ITAK polled 307,657 in both provinces just 341 less than the NPP. The number of councillors elected from the NPP in the various municipal, urban and divisional (pradesheeya/Piradesa) councils are 376. The number of councillors elected from the ITAK in the North and east is 377 just one more than the NPP.
The NPP polled the highest number of votes in four (Vavuniya, Mannar, Amparai, Trinco) of the eight districts in the North and East. The ITAK got the largest amount of votes in the other four districts — namely Jaffna, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu). The NPP has won the most number of members in 18 councils in the North and East. The ITAK however has done much better in this respect by coming out on top in 35 councils from both provinces.
Problem
A ”problem” that has emeged in most councils in the North and east as well as the other seven provinces is that of forming a viable administration. Parties may have topped the polls but do not have an absolute majority in many councils. Hence the NPP is trying to woo small parties and independent groups into supporting them in the councils.
Likewise the ITAK too has entered into discussions with some political parties and independent groups with the intention of forming viable administrations commanding a majority. The ITAK has an absolute majority of its own in only six of the thirty-five councils it has won.
Preliminay discussions have resulted in both the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) and the Thamil Makkal Koottani agreeing to support the ITAK in all councils where the ITAK has come first. The situation however is still fluid. The success or failure of these discussions will be known definitely only when the newly elected councils hold their inaugural sessions on June 2nd. It appears that the Tamil nationalist Parties will unite to prevent the NPP from administering a Tamil majority council in the north and east.
Sumanthiran
It is indeed clear that the ITAK has once again demonstrated through the local authority elections that it is the premier political party of the Tamils of the northern and eastern provinces. The ITAK in general and its General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran in particular were severely attacked by many Tamil parties and media organisations. It was propagated that the ITAK would fare very poorly in the elections because the Tamil people supposedly hated Sumanthiran. The results have proved these critics wrong.
Sumanthiran was the mainstay of the ITAK election campaign. He played a big role in selecting appropriate candidates and formulating election propaganda. He travelled the length and breadth of the north and east and addressed numerous meetings in all districts except Kilinochchi. Some Tamil politicians criticised and attacked Sumanthiran more than the NPP. His detractors portrayed him as a political liability to the ITAK. The poll results are a personal triumph for Sumanthiran and have vindicated him in a big way.
Crown Jewel – Jaffna
After the 2024 Parliamentary election, the JVP led NPP said their success in Jaffna was the jewel in their victory crown. The JVP with nearly 25% of the votes got three out of six MPs in Jaffna. The ITAK got only one in the Jaffna electoral district comprising the administrative districts of Kilinochchi and Jaffna.
The NPP went to town with the Jaffna district results. JVP secretary Tilvin Silva as well as several other JVP stalwarts crowed about the Jaffna victory as their crowning achievement. It was even said that the JVP led NPP had liberated the people of Jaffna from racism.
When the local authority elections were impending, the NPP boasted that the party would repeat its success in Jaffna. In fact Fisheries minister Ramalinam Chandrasekar said that the NPP would win all 17 local authorities in Jaffna district. When the election campaign unfolded the NPP government gave top priority to Jaffna. Apart from a widespread, intense grassroots campaign, high level leaders like President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of the House Bimal Ratnayake addressed mass meetings in Jaffna.
House Triumphs Over Compass
Despite this powerful election campaign the JVP led NPP was unable to “Capture” Jaffna as planned. The “House” triumphed over the “Compass” in the battle for Jaffna. The ITAK got the most number of votes. The NPP came second. In the 2024 Parliamentary poll, the NPP polled 80,830 votes in Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts. The ITAK garnered 63,327 votes in 2024. In the 2025 local polls the ITAK got 117,616 votes in both districts. The NPP tally in both districts in the 2025 local poll was 67, 167.
The Anura “Alai” (wave) engulfed Jaffna in the 2024 Parliamentary poll. Why did the tide turn against the NPP in the 2025 Local elections? The main reason for this was the hiatus between pledge and performance. The NPP in general and AKD in particular made several pledges during the parliamentary election campaign. Some of these were — Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was to be abolished, all Tamil political prisoners were to be released, the issue of enforced disappearances was to be addressed, private lands seized by the armed forces were to be returned to the rightful owners, security force camps and checkpoints were to be reduced, places and roads declared as high security areas were to be reduced.
None of these promises were kept. A few checkpoints were removed, one or two camps closed, and a few roads made open to the public. Nothing substantial was done. There has been practically no forward movement on issues like the release of political prisoners, enforced disappearances, return of seized lands, etc. On the question of political prisoners, it is now said that there are no political prisoners. The Govt. also stated that the PTA will not be abolished.
These then are the reasons for the NPP’s 2025 poor performance in Jaffna when compared to 2024. The ITAK has struck back and got the better of the NPP in Jaffna. It is however important not to be misled by the optics. The NPP Jaffna victory in 2024 was blown up disproportionately. Now in 2025 it is being down graded disproportionately.
NPP a Player in Tamil Politics
It must be acknowledged that the NPP has done better than Tamil nationalist parties -with the singular exception of the ITAK- in Jaffna and other Tamil areas. Tamil politics will no longer be an intra-Tamil nationalist party affair. It will be a Tamil nationalist versus national party exercise. The JVP led NPP has come to stay in the Tamil political realm. The NPP/JVP is going to be a permanent powerful player in North -eastern Tamil politics.
D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
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