Sri Lanka: Campaigning in full swing for Presidential polls

Campaigning is in full swing for the January 8 presidential polls in Sri Lanka.. President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to be assured of his victory... On one hand, Rajapaksa is popular among the majority Sinhalese community, he is not among the favorites of Tamils since the military crushed the LTTE in 2009. Meanwhile Rajapaksa suffered the 26th defection of a parliamentarian from his party to the opposition ranks since his announcement of snap polls