Indian prime minister Narenda Modi called Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa earlier today to congratulate him on an “impressive electoral performance by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party,” according to an official Indian statement.

The call to Rajapaksa came even before the final results have been announced, with the Sinhala nationalist party dominating polls in the south.

^{Photo: Facebook/Chavakachcheri Hindu Primary School}

A man was victim to voter fraud at the Chavakachcheri Hindu Primary School polling station in Jaffna on Wednesday.

The officials on duty had discovered that someone had illegally cast a vote under another man’s name. Ramanathan, husband of Chavakachcheri Municipal Councilor and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) member Sivamangai Ramanathan, found out that someone had used his name to cast a vote when he visited the polling station.

Updated 23.55 GMT

The Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna's (SLPP) have swept polls across the South on their Sinhala nationalist platform as predicted, whilst the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) lost seats in the North-East, with final results just announced in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections.

As results were still being declared Indian prime minister Narendra Modi called Mahinda Rajapaksa to congratulate him on the polls, stating the clan had put in an “impressive electoral performance” according to an official press release. 

Polls closed in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections on Wednesday with an all island turnout of 71%, and an even higher turnout in many regions across the North-East.

Though across the island the figure is a six percent decrease in turnout when compared to the elections in 2015, some had expected it to be much lower due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Writing on the repeated fear-mongering over a revival of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), J.S Tissainayagam notes how the spectre of the LTTE has been used as a “foil to win elections and justify lapses in good governance”; as well as, a means of justifying the “justify continued coercion of the Tamils”; and, to attract “foreign military assistance for counterterrorism”.

Regrouping the LTTE

Sri Lankan Prime Minister and leader of the SLPP, Mahinda Rajapaksa, told reporters that he was confident his party would secure a two-thirds majority, and if not he would “make arrangements” if the party does not receive it during the election.

Speaking to journalists at Weeraketiya, where he cast his vote, Rajapaksa claimed;

“There is a need for a parliament with a two-thirds majority. We are ready to face the economic challenges. We have already faced challenges more severe than these”.

Basil Rajapaksa, the National Organizer of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) announced that those who left the party during the Yahapalana government would be welcomed back to the party but would be held at a political distance, as parliamentary polls closed earlier today. 

Sri Lanka’s Police Media Division Director, SSP Jaliya Senaratne, has told reporters that police officers are permitted to use firearms during the election period “even in the event of a death”.

Tamils across the North-East took to the polls amidst heavy Sri Lankan military presence today, as voting began in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections.

The Tamil homeland in the North-East has registered a sizeable turnout, so far, with all districts registering over 50% turnout as of 17.00.

Photograph via Centre for Monitoring Election Violence 

Voters registered at the Nedunthivu polling station in Kayts, Jaffna have been waiting for hours for the boat service to travel to the polling station, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported.