Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Secretary and President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran has declared that the results of the recently concluded local government elections have dispelled the myth of an "Anura wave" and reaffirmed the enduring strength of Tamil nationalism in the North-East.
Speaking at a press briefing held today at the Jaffna Press Club, Sumanthiran extended his gratitude to the voters across the North and East who supported ITAK, allowing it to emerge victorious in several of the contested local councils.
Despite intense propaganda about a sweeping wave of change, he said, the results show a clear commitment from the Tamil people to their nationalist aspirations.
ITAK contested in 58 local councils across the North-East and secured administrative control in 40 of them—a result Sumanthiran described as both significant and decisive. The outcome, he asserted, underscored the community’s continued faith in Tamil nationalist politics, even amid strong attempts by southern parties such as the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) to make inroads into Tamil-majority areas.
The so-called “Anura wave”—a reference to Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP’s campaign strategy—had been heavily promoted in recent months, particularly in the Tamil North and East, where NPP representatives had attempted to position themselves as allies of the Tamil people. However, the local election results reflect that such messaging failed to gain meaningful traction.
Sumanthiran acknowledged that while ITAK secured a majority of council presidencies, collaboration with other Tamil political actors would still be necessary in certain areas where no single party had achieved a clear majority.
In the current political climate, I believe our allied Tamil parties will understand the mandate of the people and offer their support accordingly, he said.
