Jaffna voting figures show we had no pact with LTTE - Media Minister

Rohan Mathes

COLOMBO: Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa categorically refuting allegations of former Minister Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi pertaining to a secret pact between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the LTTE during the 2005 Presidential election, described these as baseless and wild allegations, which are borne out by the voting pattern in the Jaffna peninsula and uncleared areas at the poll.

At the weekly Cabinet press briefing yesterday at the Government Information Department, Yapa responding to a query, said their studies reveal that in the Jaffna Peninsula wherein the past the SLFP had traditionally garnered a majority of votes, at the last election the voters were deprived of their franchise.

On the other hand in uncleared areas, the voting has been in favour of the UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe.

“As shown in the graph prepared by us, in Killinochchi and Mulaithivu, the UNP candidate had polled 77.89 per cent, in uncleared Eastern Province it is 61.3 and Batticaloa 79.51 per cent.

“That was the percentage of the valid votes cast at that time. From Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Hector Kobbekaduwa and Chandrika Bandaranaike’s times, we have been consistently victorious in the Jaffna peninsula,” Yapa said.

“At the last Presidential elections however, the people had refrained from casting their vote. Furthermore, our Alliance Secretary had also submitted 17 proposals to the Elections Commissioner before the elections, on the possibility of elections law violations in the Northern and Eastern provinces,” he said.

Yapa said that on a detailed analysis of the 2005 polls results in the Batticaloa District, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had polled 28,836 (18.87%) while Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained 121,514 (79.51%).

In Jaffna President Rajapaksa 1,967 (25%) with Ranil Wickremesinghe 5,520 (70.2%). In the Vanni, President Rajapaksa 17,197 (20.36%) as opposed to 65,719 (88.7%) for Ranil Wickremesinghe. In Trincomalee, President Rajapaksa polled 65,680 (37.04%) and Ranil Wickremesinghe 92,197 (61.86%).

“These results very clearly indicate that we have not had such a pact with the LTTE. So we will not take them seriously,” Yapa added.