The statue of former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and human rights lawyer, Nadarajah Raviraj was covered with several different cloths following a recount controversy involving two TNA candidates in Jaffna last night.
Nadarajah Raviraj’s statue in Chavakachcheri was covered in black cloth on his face and red and yellow cloth on the bottom half of his statue this morning.
Sasikala Raviraj, widow of assassinated MP Raviraj, contested as a TNA candidate in the Jaffna district in the recent parliamentary elections but had narrowly missed out on a seat in her challenging district.
Last night, Mrs Raviraj and fellow TNA candidate M A Sumanthiran had been caught up in a intra-party dispute during a recount of preferential votes in Jaffna, causing heavy controversy. Early reports suggested she was predicted to finish in second place and that she was expecting to win seat but she was later informed that failed to win a seat.
Following this, Raviraj’s statue was wrapped in black cloth to "signify the injustice" Mrs Raviraj experienced with emblematic red and yellow cloths of the TNA party colours placed below.
Mrs Raviraj's daughter, Praviinaa Raviraj, took to Facebook last night to question the result, insisting that there had been some interference from personnel to influence the results.
“We are awaiting the official results but this is the politics that a certain politician is playing within the party. When candidates are not permitted inside the final counting booth it was witnessed MA Sumanthiran and his right hand Sajanthan were seated along with the elections officers at the final counting area,” she said.
Mrs Raviraj insisted that she was victim to premeditated foul-play in the polls and that she was “very baffled” at her final result.
She stated that she has informed Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) leader and TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah and will explain the situation to the Election Commissioner and demand an inquiry from them both for her injustice.
