evidence: Ranil is the blue-eyed boy of the IMF which sits on a few billion dollars of funds earmarked for Lanka and influences the largesse of the World Bank and the ADB. The blue that the IMF espies in Ranil’s eyes also includes Sovereign Wealth Funds (international private capital). Ranil is likely to open-up the economy, privatise some public enterprises and float the rupee, all music to IMF ears. In class terms the Ranil enjoys the backing of local upper and business classes, some SME-types and many who think "Ranil can Deliver", meaning he can chaperon economic recovery. By manoeuvring with free-hold deeds in war affected Tamil areas, grants to the Jaffna hospitals and the Rs 1000/day wage to mostly Tamil plantation workers, Ranil seems to have stitched up a lions-share of the aforesaid 30-lakhs of ethnic and religious minority vote. He has however fouled up his reputation by protecting crooks like Arjuna Mahendran and others. The great unknown for him, however, to put it in Rumsfeld Speak, is the Known-Unknown; how many of the country’s radicalised youth of all communities, fed up with the system, will throw their support behind the NPP-JVP. This is still fluid but will become clear as October draws neigh.