By Easwaran Rutnam The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which has a strong vote base among the Tamils in the North and East, is now considering contesting the upcoming election in Colombo, The Sunday Morning learnt. Last week, the party had held a meeting in Colombo chaired by TNA Leader R. Sampanthan and Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Leader Mavai Senathirajah. The meeting mainly focused on the ITAK and matters related to the parliamentary election scheduled to be held around April or May. The TNA has not taken a final decision on contesting in Colombo, but if it does, it would be a complete shift from its agenda of focusing on issues faced by Tamils in the North and East. In the past, the TNA, apart from pushing for a political solution for the Tamils, has focused on the demilitarisation of the North and East as well as land issues and human rights concerns of Tamils in the North and East. The TNA, The Sunday Morning learnt, is looking at securing more seats in Parliament and strengthening its presence in the country by fielding a candidate from the Colombo District. Many Tamils are spread out in Colombo, with most of them based in Wellawatte. The move comes as former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran prepares to form a new alliance and contest the election. The alliance will include the Tamil People’s Council (TPC) led by Wigneswaran, Suresh Premachandran’s Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), and N. Srikantha’s Tamil National Party (TNP). Premachandran and Srikantha are former members of the TNA, who had split over differences in opinion. Wigneswaran’s popularity in the North has grown in recent times and his decision to contest the parliamentary election is expected to put pressure on the TNA. The move will also see a split in the Tamil votes at the parliamentary election with other Tamil parties including Minister Douglas Devananda’s Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan’s (Karuna Amman) political party also set to contest in the North and East. TELO to reach out to Wigneswaran? Meanwhile, the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), an alliance member of the TNA, said that it will attempt to reach out to Wigneswaran and try to bridge the differences between him and the TNA. TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan said the TNA will have a stronger chance at the election if it works with Wigneswaran. He said that Wigneswaran had stated that he will consider joining the TNA if there was a change in the leadership. Adaikalanathan said that making a change in the leadership is a matter which will need to be discussed at length. However, he noted that if one is to ensure Tamil issues are addressed, then all Tamil political parties must work together instead of going their separate ways. The TELO has already seen a split in its ranks with some members leaving and extending support to Wigneswaran. Adaikalanathan said that those who left the party however will not be taken back. The parliamentarian said that the TELO will meet next month and pick its candidates for the parliamentary election. The party had already decided on a few candidates who will contest on behalf of the TNA under the ITAK ticket for a seat in Parliament. Push for political solution At the election, the TNA and most other Tamil political parties, except for those working with the Government, are expected to push for a permanent political solution for the Tamils. TNA Leader Sampanthan said that the TNA will not abandon its push for a political solution at any cost. Sampanthan had told participants at a Thai Pongal event in Trincomalee last week that attempts are being made to derail efforts to secure a political solution for the Tamils. He said that no matter what’s said and done, the TNA will continue to ensure Tamils are given a political solution. Sampanthan said that the ITAK in particular has stood for democracy and the rights of Tamils and will not pull back from that stand. He said that the international community had recognised the struggle of the Tamils as a result of the stand taken by the ITAK. However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is also drawing some support from less influential Tamil political parties, the latest being a group of former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres. The Crusaders for Democracy led by Ganeshalingam Chandralingam alias Thulasi said that they hope to meet the President and discuss solutions to issues faced by former rebels and their families. While the rehabilitated LTTE cadres haven’t indicated any move to openly support Rajapaksa or the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), there are signs that might happen at the next election. The Crusaders for Democracy has rejected the TNA and its policies and is likely to work with the Government to have a stronger role in society. The Crusaders for Democracy and at least four other groups mostly consisting of former LTTE members have joined hands and formed a new alliance. Talks to form the new alliance had begun two years ago, but following the 16 November presidential election, a decision was taken to expedite the process. Thulasi had said that the new alliance would look to work with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to address issues faced by the Tamils. He said that a 14-member leadership council had now been appointed to decide on the name of the new alliance and to draft its party policies. “We felt that the TNA had failed to address the Tamils’ issues over the past few years, so we decided to step in,” Thulasi said. He said that the intention of the new alliance was to seek a solution for the Tamil issues amicably instead of adopting a confrontational approach.