Newly elected United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) representatives of the Eastern Provincial Council were sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today (May 16).

Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan a.k.a Pillayan, leader of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal – TMVP – (Tamil People’s Liberation Tigers) had been sworn in as Chief Minister of the EPC. He obtained the largest number of preferential votes for any candidate in the Eastern Province.

The TMVP - a breakaway group from the LTTE, which has entered democratic politics - contested as a constituent of the UPFA winning all electorates in the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province.

The UPFA won a majority in the elections to the first ever Eastern Provincial Council held on May 10, securing 20 (18+02 bonus seats) out of 37 seats in the Council, from the three districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee.