The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) yesterday appeared to be in two minds regarding a reported decision to extend its support to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Election, it is learned.

The decision taken to announce support for candidate Sajith Premadasa at a press conference held in Vavuniya yesterday (1 September), is not a collective decision taken by the party, the former ITAK leader Mavai Senathirajah said.

Issuing a media statement a Senathirajah expressed his disapproval of the decision, stating that it does not represent the official stance of the party. Senathirajah clarified that he was unaware of any such meeting taking place within the party to deliberate on this matter.

Given this lack of awareness and participation from key party figures, he asserted that the decision to support Premadasa cannot be recognised as an official party decision. He emphasised that the endorsement was the result of a personal decision made by a small group of individuals, rather than a collective agreement by the party's leadership.

He also pointed out that several prominent members of ITAK, including the leader of ITAK S. Sritharan, Member of Parliament Charles Nirmalanathan, and former Member of Parliament S.C. Yogeswaran, did not attend the meeting where this decision was supposedly made.

The statement from Senathirajah comes after the statement made by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, M. A. Sumanthiran that the party has decided to support Premadasa, during the upcoming Presidential Election.

It is reported that MP Sumanthiran said that this decision was reached at the Central Committee meeting of the party. ITAK is considered as the main political party of the Tamil National Alliance. It was also reported that the ITAK has also agreed not to support the Tamil common candidate P. Ariyanenthiran.

Several attempts made to contact ITAK leader Sritharan and MP Selvam Adeikkalanathan proved futile.

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The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has officially reached a final decision to endorse Sajith Premadasa, the presidential candidate of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), at the upcoming presidential election. The announcement came after a party meeting held this morning (Sep. 16) in Vavuniya, where the party’s central committee made the final decision.

An investigation has been launched after a back-up helicopter escorting President Ranil Wickremesinghe made an emergency landing on Saturday. The Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 412 (SUH 522) made an unplanned landing in a paddy field in Eppawala yesterday due to a technical issue.

National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that his government would cancel Indian conglomerate Adani’s 450 MW wind power project in Sri Lanka if elected. He claimed the agreement was corrupt and skewed against Sri Lanka’s interests.