New faces in the TMVP

15 February 2010 01:38 pm

By Jamila Najmuddin

The Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) today decided to include some new faces to contest the upcoming General elections after the party decided to go it alone at the polls, TMVP spokesman Azad Maulana told Daily Mirror online.

Maulana said that following days of negotiations within the party and with the ruling UPFA government, the TMVP had today reached a formal decision to contest the General Elections independently.

He said that the TMVP will contest under the boat symbol at the April 8 elections and have included several Tamil academics and activists to run for the elections on behalf of the party in the east.

Maulana however asserted that the decision to contest independently will not dent the relationship between the party and the government. The TMVP contested the Eastern Provincial council elections with the UPFA and also supported President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the recent Presidential elections.

The TMVP had several rounds of negotiations with the government and even met President Mahinda Rajapaksa before reaching the decision today to contest the polls independently.