Numbers of Tamils said to be a critical factor in London Mayoral elections

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 May 2012, 23:21 GMT]
As the campaign for the Mayoral elections for London reaches its final stages, there now exists a view among all mainstream parties in the United Kingdom that the time of securing outright majorities in the House of Commons through generic campaigns has elapsed and that they need to engage with ‘vote blocs’. Eezham Tamils numbering over 300,000 constitute the largest single issue vote bloc in southern England, with over 250,000 in London alone, have the ability by exercising their vote to directly determine the outcome of the Mayoral elections, 25 of the seats in the London Assembly, and tilt the balance in favour of one party or the other in another 10 seats, on 3rd May.

Tamil activists in UK said that the voter strength of the Tamils in these elections, if their cast votes are on an issue-centric basis than a party-centric basis, can greatly influence the thinking of establishments.

Of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, only 45 to 50 marginal seats are likely to change hands in future elections. And, all major parties realise that their ‘core’ vote is not sufficient to secure them. Most of these are in and around London.

The concerted effort of Tamils in voting in London and in other places where they are strong can tilt the UK foreign policy in a way that is beneficial to their brethren in the homeland, Tamil circles in London said.

“As a politically active community Eezham Tamils should cast their votes to the candidate who promises to deliver not just the best services for Londoners but who also will take a keen interest in affairs of their community and a positive stand on the genocide in the homeland,” a Tamil activist from London told TamilNet.