Two EPDP in Jaffna, one PLOTE in Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2001, 18:20 GMT]
The TNA got 102324 votes in Jaffna, 86284 in Batticaloa and 41959 in the Vanni electoral district, election officials said Thursday. It got more than forty four thousand votes in the Ampara (Digamadulla) district, according to votes counted so far. Only two EPDP MPs were elected in Jaffna with 57208 votes. The EPDP, a close ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s regime, was routed in all other districts of the north and east. Mr. Dharmalingam Sitharthan, the leader of the PLOTE, which came third in the Vanni with 9614 votes, was elected the sole MP from the group. The PLOTE too demands the lifting of Colombo’s ban on the Tigers and starting peace talks with them. The TNA lost the fourth seat in the Vanni by about 1200 votes, a spokesman for the Alliance said.

There are six seats in the Vanni, including the bonus for the party scoring the highest votes. The UNP/SLMC combine got two MPs for the Vanni by scoring 26794 votes, more than half of which were from displaced persons living in the Puttalam district. The PLOTE got 9614 votes in the Vanni. The PA was defeated.

In Batticaloa, the SLMC got a seat for 26725 votes. Ex-deputy minister in the PA regime, Mr. Mohideen Abdul Cader was elected. The PA got one for 25705. Mr. Ganeshamoorthy, ex-deputy minister in the PA government was defeated and Mr. M. L. A. M Hisbullah, a controversial Muslim politician from the village of Kattankudy who was also an ex- deputy minister was elected MP.

The UNP lost the seat it won here in October 2000. Mr. Alisahir Moulana, a popular ex-MP from of Eravur, 15 kilometres north of Batticaloa, was defeated.

There are five seats in Battialoa, including the bonus.

The votes for the other parties and groups which contested the elections in Batticaloa are:

UNP - 22638

EPDP – 4153

PLOTE – 5601

Independent Group – fish symbol (EPRLF Varathar faction) – 6406