In a surprising development, Mavai Senathirajah, leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), declared his support for Sajith Premadasa, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate, in the upcoming presidential election. This announcement was made yesterday.
However, just hours later, Senathirajah also attended a public meeting in Kilinochchi organized to support the Tamil Common Candidate, P. Ariyanethran.
The ITAK’s six-member committee, responsible for reviewing election manifestos, held a meeting in Vavuniya yesterday, chaired by Senathirajah and attended by key figures, including MPs S. Sreedharan, President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Party General Secretary P. Sathyalingam, Senior Deputy Leader C.V.K. Sivagnanam, and former Batticaloa Mayor Thyagaraja Saravanabavan.
During the meeting, Senathirajah reaffirmed ITAK’s central committee decision to support Premadasa, urging voters to unite behind him in the election scheduled for the 21st, to address the challenges facing the community.
Despite this, his presence at the Kilinochchi meeting underscored his commitment to unity and freedom. “Regardless of our decisions, we have risked our lives for freedom, and I felt it was necessary to attend this public meeting to work together for the freedom we seek,” he said.
