ITAK and Tamil National Democratic Alliance to Hold Key Talks Next Week

13-Jan-2026

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The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and the Tamil National Democratic Alliance (TNDA) are scheduled to hold a crucial meeting next week in Jaffna to discuss how to exert pressure on the government to hold Provincial Council elections within this year.

The discussions come amid government proposals to appoint a 12-member parliamentary select committee to study the electoral system under which Provincial Council elections should be held. The proposal, presented last week in Parliament by Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa, grants the committee three months to make recommendations.

Tamil nationalist parties have expressed strong concerns, accusing the government of using the select committee as a tactic to delay elections due to fear of facing the polls.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, told editors and media heads Jan 8 that India’s position is that Provincial Council elections should be held without delay.

Against this backdrop, the ITAK–TNDA meeting is scheduled for Jan 16 at the ITAK office in Jaffna. ITAK General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran said discussions would focus on countering the government’s move and identifying ways to pressure for early elections.

He warned that if the committee recommends a new electoral system, delimitation could take one to two years, indicating the government has no intention of holding elections this year.

TNDA Media Spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said discussions would certainly address the select committee issue, stressing that if the government is genuinely committed to Provincial Councils, it should immediately hold elections under the existing system and pursue reforms afterward, rather than delaying the process.