<p>Colombo: Ahead of the September 21 presidential election, the main Tamil minority party TNA remains optimistic that whoever wins the polls, Tamil issues could be sorted out through discussion.</p>.<p>MA Sumanthiran, the senior Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, said on Monday that the Tamil party wishes to work in cooperation with the candidate elected.</p>.<p>Over 2.2 million out of the 17 million registered voters come from the Tamil regions in the north and east.</p>.JVP vows to scrap Adani power project in Sri Lanka if voted to power.<p>The TNA, in a divided decision, has already announced to back the main opposition challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.</p>.<p>However, the party leader S Sritharan remains committed to P Ariyanethran, who is contesting as a Tamil common candidate.</p>.<p>Sumanthiran said Premadasa was the candidate who gave the most positive assurance among the other candidates – the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Marxist NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to resolve Tamil issues.</p>.<p>During talks with TNA, all three candidates had agreed to devolve powers leading to a political solution for the Tamils, Sumanthiran said.</p>.<p>Asked if either Wickremesinghe or Dissanayake were to be the winner instead of their candidate Premadasa, Sumanthiran said as both had given assurances for a political solution no problems would arise.</p>.<p>“It is the primary focus of all Tamil parties to win over a political solution to the Tamil problems,” Sumanthiran said.</p>.<p>The TNA decision to back Premadasa has come under fire from the Tamil hardline Tamil National People’s Front leader Gajen Ponnambalam.</p>.<p>He dubbed the TNA decision as one, which is not in the best interests of Tamils, and advocated a vote boycott as the Tamils cannot take part in an election to elect a Sinhalese leader to head the country.</p>.<p>Earlier last month, the TNA announced to field Ariyanethran as the joint Tamil candidate. He is one of the 38 candidates in the fray. </p>
<p>Colombo: Ahead of the September 21 presidential election, the main Tamil minority party TNA remains optimistic that whoever wins the polls, Tamil issues could be sorted out through discussion.</p>.<p>MA Sumanthiran, the senior Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, said on Monday that the Tamil party wishes to work in cooperation with the candidate elected.</p>.<p>Over 2.2 million out of the 17 million registered voters come from the Tamil regions in the north and east.</p>.JVP vows to scrap Adani power project in Sri Lanka if voted to power.<p>The TNA, in a divided decision, has already announced to back the main opposition challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.</p>.<p>However, the party leader S Sritharan remains committed to P Ariyanethran, who is contesting as a Tamil common candidate.</p>.<p>Sumanthiran said Premadasa was the candidate who gave the most positive assurance among the other candidates – the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Marxist NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to resolve Tamil issues.</p>.<p>During talks with TNA, all three candidates had agreed to devolve powers leading to a political solution for the Tamils, Sumanthiran said.</p>.<p>Asked if either Wickremesinghe or Dissanayake were to be the winner instead of their candidate Premadasa, Sumanthiran said as both had given assurances for a political solution no problems would arise.</p>.<p>“It is the primary focus of all Tamil parties to win over a political solution to the Tamil problems,” Sumanthiran said.</p>.<p>The TNA decision to back Premadasa has come under fire from the Tamil hardline Tamil National People’s Front leader Gajen Ponnambalam.</p>.<p>He dubbed the TNA decision as one, which is not in the best interests of Tamils, and advocated a vote boycott as the Tamils cannot take part in an election to elect a Sinhalese leader to head the country.</p>.<p>Earlier last month, the TNA announced to field Ariyanethran as the joint Tamil candidate. He is one of the 38 candidates in the fray. </p>