India, Nov. 20 -- Gotabaya (Gota) Rajapaksa's decisive victory in the presidential election was not entirely surprising though it has shocked the liberals in Colombo, becoming the most ethnically polarised verdict. Gota has shown that presidential elections can be won without the ethnic minority vote. Ever since the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime was voted out of power in 2015 and following the passage of the 19th Amendment, Gota's choice was natural as 19A had ruled out a third term for the President and raised the bar for age to 35 years, thus rendering Mahinda and his son Namal Rajapaksa ineligible for contesting the presidential election.

For an Army Colonel, Gota's decade as the Defence Secretary to elder brother and former President Mahi...