Sri Lanka elections: President Dissanayake's NPP sweeps parliamentary polls, makes history in Tamil-majority Jaffna

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake shows his inked finger as he leaves a polling station after casting his ballot to vote in Sri Lanka`s parliamentary election in Colombo on November 14. Pic/AFP

The National People's Power (NPP), led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, clinched a historic victory in the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections on Friday, securing a two-thirds majority and dominating the Jaffna electoral district, which is the heartland of the country's Tamil minority, news agency PTI reported.

Contesting under the Malimawa (compass) symbol, the NPP won 159 out of 225 seats in parliament. This is the first time that any party has achieved a two-thirds majority under Sri Lanka's proportional representation system, introduced in 1978. The NPP secured more than 6.8 million votes (61 per cent) in the Sri Lanka elections, the poll body of the country said.

According to PTI, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), led by Sajith Premadasa, was a distant second with 40 seats. Other smaller parties, including the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), New Democratic Front, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, won eight, five, and three seats each, respectively.

The voter turnout in Thursday's poll was the lowest since 2010. Dissanayake had called for snap elections shortly after assuming the presidency in September. The new parliament is scheduled to meet next week.

Historic result in Jaffna

The NPP made history in the Jaffna electoral district, trouncing traditional Tamil nationalist parties in the cultural capital of the community. This is the first time a predominantly Sinhala party from Sri Lanka's south has won seats in this district, PTI reported. Previously, the United National Party (UNP) had won only a single seat here.

The NPP garnered more than 80,000 votes in Jaffna, outperforming ITAK, which received just over 63,000 votes in the final count. As a result, three seats in the district were claimed by Dissanayake's party, while ITAK, All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), and Independent Group 17 each secured one seat.

The result in Jaffna aligns with Dissanayake's pre-election claim that his party has become a truly national party, accepted by all communities. "The era of dividing and setting one community against the other has ended as people are embracing the NPP," he had stated.

The NPP, in its earlier Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) avatar, had been a vocal opponent of power-sharing arrangements - a key demand of Tamil groups during the armed separatist struggle led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The shift in its approach is seen as significant, particularly in the context of the party's broader appeal across Sri Lanka's diverse communities.

NPP leaders expressed their gratitude to voters and acknowledged the responsibility that came with their victory. "We are cognizant of the mandate and the responsibility that comes with it. We will do everything to uphold public trust," said Tilwin Silva, a leader of the JVP, the NPP's founding party.

Indian High Commissioner to Colombo, Santosh Jha, congratulated Dissanayake on the NPP's landslide victory. "As a fellow democracy, India welcomes the mandate and remains committed to further strengthening bilateral ties for the benefit of our people," Jha said in a statement.

Sri Lanka went to the polls as the country continues to emerge from a severe economic crisis.

(With PTI inputs)