Sri Lanka’s Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has created history by winning the election. He is set to replace Ranil Wickremesinghe after getting a bumper vote. He has won the presidential election by getting the highest number of votes. Anura Kumara’s victory in the election is no less than a shock for India. He is considered a supporter of China and during the election campaign he had promised the Sri Lankan people that if he becomes the President, he will cancel Adani’s projects in Sri Lanka.
In 2022, this was the first time after facing civil war and severe economic crisis, Sri Lankans voted for a new president. On Saturday, 21 September, about 75 percent voting took place. According to the Sri Lankan Election Commission, there were no violent incidents in the country during the voting. Anura Kumara has won a big victory in the election results. Anura Kumara Dissanayake is all set to replace the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe was to take over the reins of Sri Lanka in July 2022 amid the economic crisis.
Anura Kumara got 52 percent votes
According to PTI agency, out of the total votes declared till 7 am on Sunday, 56-year-old Dissanayake got 7,27,000 votes or 52 percent. His closest rival and prominent opposition leader 57-year-old Sajith Premadasa got only 333,000 votes, i.e. 23 percent votes. At the same time, 75-year-old Wickremesinghe came third with 2,35,000 votes or 16 percent.
Who is Anura Kumara?
Anura Kumara is currently an MP from Colombo. Anura, popularly known as AKD, is currently leading two political parties – People’s Liberation Front (JVP) and National People’s Power (NPP). He is considered a leader with Marxist ideology in Sri Lanka. Disanayake was born on 24 November 1968. Anura Kumara is considered a supporter of China. After voting on Saturday, he was quoted by AFP as saying – “Our country needs a new political culture.” During the election campaign, he had promised to dissolve the Parliament within 45 days of coming to power. He had promised to empower the weaker sections of the society and sustainable development.
Is Dissanayake anti-India?
Experts in the matter say that there is a high possibility that after the coronation, Dissanayake will be more inclined towards China. The Week says that his party JVP was accused of Chinese help during his campaign in 2021. In an interview to Daily Mirror Sri Lanka, Dissanayake had said, “Someone claimed that I have spent Rs 70 million on foreign trips. I visited there on the invitation of the governments of India and China. The governments of India and China bore all the expenses.”
Adani’s promise to cancel the project
Anura Kumara’s party JPV had opposed the Peace Keeping Force sent by India in the 1980s. India had sent this force to Sri Lanka at that time to eliminate LTTE. During the recent election campaign, Disanayake had promised the Sri Lankan people that if he forms the government, he will cancel Adani’s wind power project. He says that the Adani project is a danger to Sri Lanka’s energy sovereignty.
