Sri Lanka Tamil party sweeps north local bodies

July 25, 2011 (LBO) - A Tamil minority party has swept the polls in Sri Lanka's former war torn northern areas while the ruling coalition consolidated its gains elsewhere in a local government body poll.









Out of 65 local bodies where elections were held over the weekend, the ruling United National People's Alliance won 54 bodies.

When counting wins in other local bodies held earlier the UPFA now had control of 250 out of 335 local bodies, reports said.

In the north, 17 out of 20 local bodies had been won by opposition Tamil minority parties.

Illankai Thamil Arusu Katchchi (ITAK), generally referred to as Tamil national Alliance (TNA) has won 17 seats in the north.

The UPFA had won Kayts, Velanai and Delft Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Jaffna District.

Another Tamil party TULF has won two bodies, Pachchilaippalli and Poonakari in the Kilinochchi District, with the backing of the TNA, whose nomination papers had been rejected Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper said.