Sri Lanka announces date for key polls

Elections will be held in the once Tamil Tiger-controlled northern province and two other provinces of Sri Lanka Sep 21, it was announced Thursday.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya made the announcement after handing over of nominations and accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups ended Thursday, reports Xinhua.

All the main political parties are contesting the elections in the northern, central and northwestern provinces.

Focus will be on the northern province where the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the ruling UPFA will battle it out for public popularity, four years after the military crushed the Tamil Tigers.

The government will be campaigning on the development it has done for the area after 30 years of war destroyed most of the infrastructure.

Most parts of the north, including the main Jaffna town, have new roads, electricity and other facilities. Jaffna has been the traditional Tamil cultural heartland.

The TNA will look to ride on Tamil sentiments in the north, with the Tamil diaspora calling for accountability over the civilian deaths during the final stages of the conflict.