Tamil People’s Alliance and Tamil National Alliance Sign Agreement to Share Power in Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha

14-Jun-2025

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In a significant political development, representatives of the Tamil People’s Alliance (TPA) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Jun 12, agreeing to jointly administer the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha (local government body).

Given that no single Tamil nationalist party has secured a clear majority in several local councils across the Northern and Eastern provinces, discussions are ongoing among these parties to form collaborative administrations. 

In the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha, the Tamil National Alliance has won seven seats while the Tamil People’s Alliance holds six. 

Based on this distribution, both parties have come to an agreement to jointly form the administration.

The agreement was formally signed on Jun 12, at the residence of C.V. Vigneswaran in Colombo. Signing on behalf of the Tamil People’s Alliance was its General Secretary, C.V. Vigneswaran, while M.A. Sumanthiran, the Deputy General Secretary, represented the Tamil National Alliance. Also present at the event was TPA central committee member, Thavaseelan Shirparan.

According to the MoU, the two parties will share administrative responsibilities in the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha. 

For the first two years, a member from the Tamil People’s Alliance will hold the position of Chairman, while a TNA member will serve as Deputy Chairman. 

In the following two years (the third and fourth years), this arrangement will reverse, with a TNA member becoming Chairman and a TPA member taking up the Deputy Chairmanship.

The agreement also states that this MoU is specific to the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha alone. Should similar agreements be made in other councils, separate memoranda will be signed accordingly.

Commenting on the signing, M.A. Sumanthiran emphasized that the objective is to ensure that public services are delivered effectively through local government institutions. 

He explained that in councils where no single party has gained a majority, collaborative agreements are necessary to guarantee proper governance and representation.

He added that the agreement with the Tamil People’s Alliance is part of this broader approach and that future cooperation, including for the upcoming provincial council elections, will be decided contextually as situations evolve.

Furthermore, Sumanthiran acknowledged that in the Karainagar Pradeshiya Sabha, the Tamil People’s Alliance has secured more seats than the TNA. 

He confirmed that his party is ready to extend the necessary support for the TPA to form the administration there. 

He also expressed hope that the Tamil People’s Alliance would reciprocate such support in other councils where no MoUs have yet been signed.