Rajapaksa can no longer count on rural Sinhala vote bank

Rajapaksa’s appeal among the rural Sinhalese population cannot be underestimated. However, with Maithripala Sirisena crossing over, there is a likely split in the rural vote base

MEERA SRINIVASAN-January 2, 2015

The joint opposition’s bid to give President Mahinda Rajapaksa a tough fight in the January 8 presidential polls has resulted in a rarely seen phenomenon in Sri Lanka — a contest between two candidates with their roots in the country’s rural heartlands.
Rajapaksa can no longer count on rural Sinhala vote bank.odt by Thavam Ratna