evidence: The former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s attempt to make a political comeback suffered a huge blow on Tuesday as parliamentary election results showed a surge in support for rival Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP). [...] Though the UNP has not secured a simple majority, the formation of the next government with Mr. Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister looks only a matter of formality, given that several smaller parties, including the Tamil National Alliance, support him. Besides, there is talk in political circles in Colombo that a section of lawmakers elected on the UPFA ticket would leave the front and join hands with the UNP.