As Sri Lanka goes to poll, India keenly observes the electoral development for its geopolitical importance

Colombo, November 16: With all the political chaos meddling in the neighbouring country, voting in Sri Lanka is underway to elect the eighth President of the island nation. Voting which started at 7 a.m. at 12,845 polling centres island-wide. A total of 15,992,096 Sri Lankans are eligible to cast their ballots in a contest that will witness a battle between a record 35 candidates. The election is being observed by over 150 foreign election observers, including from the Commonwealth, European Commission and some neighbouring countries, including India.

Attaching great importance to the geopolitical development, India is keenly observing the development so as to strategize the future course of action. It is not just India but also all other foreign countries having an eye on the island election that is currently underway. As China continues to rise as a formidable force in Asian and global politics, it is imperative for India to maintain the balance of power to neutralise China’s dominance in the Indian Ocean.

The voting in Sri Lanka comes amidst when the country is yet to recover from the wounds of the nearly three-decade-long civil war and also the brutal Easter Sunday terror attack that took place just seven months ago. This is the highest number of contenders since the first presidential election which was held in 1982, and up from 18 candidates who contested the last one in 2015.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called on the public to vote peacefully and maintain law and order for free and fair polls. Voting began this morning to elect a new President. A total of 35 candidates are in the fray.

The main contest is between former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajpaksa and Minister Sajith Premadasa. Both the candidates have campaigned mainly on national security and good governance. Gotabaya has the popular support of majority Sinhala community while Sajith is banking on his support amongst minority Tamil and Muslim communities.

An Election Commission (EC) official said that the results were expected by Saturday night. A 25-percent voter turnout was seen across Sri Lanka till 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, as a presidential election has been underway, election officials said. According to officials on ground, most districts in the island had seen at least 20 percent to 25 percent turnout in the first three hours since the voting opened at 7:00 a.m.

Sri Lanka, the oldest democracy in South Asia, has time and again proved its commitment to the democratic system. Like its last presidential election when it chose democracy over dictatorship, it stands at a juncture where it has to choose between national security and the socio-economic welfare of the country.