Soon after being elected president, Dissanayake said Sri Lanka didn’t have any geopolitical concerns, and he was committed to whatever was in Sri Lanka’s best interests.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a member of parliament since 2000, comes from a working-class family. He was the first from his village to attend university, joining JVP in 1987 as a student.
Though Anura Kumara Dissanayake's lead has decreased since early morning, he's still expected to come out on top. Everyone except Dissanayake & Premadasa have been eliminated from running.
Tamils are Sri Lanka's largest minority group & usually vote as one block, but this time their vote is fractured. Plus, the 3 front-runners need significant Tamil support to reach majority.
Voters in Sri Lanka have to rank up to 3 candidates in order of preference. Candidate with 50% votes is declared winner; if nobody gets clear majority, race will boil down to top two candidates.
The elections, with 39 candidates in fray, will be watched by India, China & West. Its location makes it key player in India’s Neighbourhood First policy & broader vision for Indian Ocean.
Elections in September are seen as 3-way contest between Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa & Anura Dissanayake, but entry of Mahinda Rajapaksa's son could throw spanner in works.
A veteran politician, Gunawardena, 73, earlier served as the foreign minister & education minister. He was appointed as Home Minister in April by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
After mass protests over surging prices and shortages of food & fuel, Rajapaksa announced he will resign on 13 July, PM Wickremesinghe has announced intent to resign too.
In the storm around Sinauli, many academics dismissed claims of chariots being found. And the public misinterpreted the chariots as a device planted by the govt to fortify Hindutva.
The report released at Charcha 2025, an annual gathering of India’s social development sector, found that women remain largely concentrated in low-value and routine roles.
Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.
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