SLFP on collision course with EPDP in Jaffna Municipal Council

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 December 2011, 21:35 GMT]


The internal crisis in the ruling party of the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) has reached climax to capture the administration of the Municipal Council in Jaffna from Douglas Devananda's EPDP. The latest move is reported to have the blessings of SL presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa, who is also the SL Economic Development Minister. The councilors opposing the JMC Mayoress Yogeswary Patkunam, who was chosen by Mr. Devandanda, are now aligning with the SLFP group backed by Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. EPDP councilor Manuel Mangalanesan, who was attacked on Thursday had also announced that he would be joining the SLFP group after another EPDP member, Nishanthan, had joined the SLFP.

In recent days, Mr. Manuel Mangalanesan has come out with open criticism on alleged financial irregularities of the JMC led by the EPDP Mayoress and her associates.

Mangalanesan polled more preferential votes than the current Mayoress at the last local election to JMC but he was not appointed to the post of Mayor as the EPDP leader and government minister Douglas Devananda favored Mrs Yogeswary Patkunam for the post.

The ruling UPFA captured power of the JMC in the 2009 local elections.

The EPDP also contested under the banner of the UPFA. Mrs Yogeswary Patkunam of EPDP was elected Mayoress of the JMC.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with nine councilors is the main opposition in the JMC.

In recent days, the TNA hierarchy has been conducting individual meetings with some of the TNA councilors who were planning to join the SLFP group, informed TNA sources in Jaffna said.