The NPC councillor, Ananthy Sasitharan, on Monday said that she had reviewed her decision to contest Sri Lanka's parliamentary election independently and would not be standing for election.
"In line with requests made by friends who are concerned about the Tamil nation and wellwishers, and to ensure that the Tamil National Alliance is not defeated by the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi's undemocratic actions, I have reviewed my decision and stepped out of the contest," Ms Sasitharan said in a statement on Monday.
The councillor, who won the highest number of votes after Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran in the NPC elections, had said last week she would stand on behalf of those directly affected by the armed conflict.
In an interview with Shakthi TV, Ms Sasitharan stated she attempted to gain a nomination through the main TNA constituent party, ITAK, but this was rejected by the ITAK's leadership. The EPRLF, the party of TNA spokesperson Suresh Premachandran offered to give her the nomination, however ITAK chief Maavai Senathirajah rejected this, she further said.
Mr Senathirajah later denied he had ever received a request from Ms Sasitharan to contest on a TNA ticket.
"My intention was to rectify the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK). I never wanted to enter parliamentary politics. I was fully involved in searching for people who went missing along side my husband. In the last few years, even when I have worked with the Tamil National Alliance [TNA] to conduct a search, my efforts have been futile."
"Understanding that Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists were once again trying to covertly mislead us, I stated my view that there is no benefit in endorsing anyone in the [January 2015] presidential election. Some central committee members of the party [ITAK] also agreed with this view. Today, it has been proved that decision was correct. However, myself and the others, who had predicted this, were temporarily suspended from the party. The others who were suspended were taken back into the party without any investigation however. I alone was made to be the guilty one. This is how much concern the ITAK has for women."
"Inspite of this, I decided to contest the parliamentary election within another party or as an independently so that my voice will be recorded in the Sri Lankan Hansard."
Ms Sasitharan's husband, Elilan Sasitharan, is a senior LTTE commander who was taken into military custody in May 2009 and subsequently disappeared.
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