The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Urges Immediate Conduct of Provincial Council Elections

28-Oct-2026

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The need to amend the Provincial Council Elections Act cannot be accepted as a reason for postponing the elections. The process of creating new constituencies or electoral divisions and carrying out delimitation could take a considerable amount of time. Therefore, the elections should be conducted without delay, said M.A. Sumanthiran, President’s Counsel and General Secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK).

He made these remarks while presenting the party’s views before the Parliamentary Special Committee examining matters relating to Provincial Council elections.

Parliamentarians Sathiyalingam and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, the party’s parliamentary group leader, also participated in the meeting on behalf of the ITAK.

The party firmly maintains that Provincial Council elections must be held immediately. Mr. Sumanthiran pointed out that if changes to the electoral system are necessary, the elections could first be conducted under the existing system, with the required amendments being made before the next election.

He explained that the need to amend the Provincial Council Elections Act cannot be cited as a justification for postponement, particularly since creating new constituencies or electoral divisions and undertaking delimitation could take a long time.

He also pointed out that, when amendments were made to the laws governing local government and Parliamentary elections, it had been possible to proceed on the basis of the existing constituencies and electoral divisions. He urged the authorities to adopt a similar approach to ensure that Provincial Council elections are held without further delay.