Tamils form 12% of the country's 22 million population, but have long been electorally sidelined, as most candidates belong to the majority Sinhala population and many Tamils say they have no hope of a better future from those candidates.

STORY: Tamils in Sri Lanka have little hope that Saturday's (September 21) presidential election will improve their lot. This is Jaffna, capital of the Northern Province, one of the areas where insurgents from the ethnic minority once fought for a Tamil nation during Sri Lanka's civil war.

JAFFNA: With a crucial presidential election just days away, Jaffna, Sri Lanka’s northern capital does not reflect South’s political frenzy. A record number of candidates have joined the fray, 39 in all,

Muslims, who also speak Tamil but identify themselves as a separate ethnic group, are likely to vote for Sajith with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress putting its weight behind the Leader of Opposition. The community constitutes about 9 per cent of the island’s population.

Northern Tamil voters in Sri Lanka face a dilemma in the presidential election, torn between a potential winner and a symbolic candidate.

Traditionally, Tamils have voted for Tamil parties which are active in northern Sri Lanka, but Thanabalasingam says their vote is now split among many factions which claim to represent the minority's concerns.