Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country.

Sri Lankan housewife Lankika Dilrukshi says she is tired of the daily struggle needed to provide for her children. Dilrukshi, 31, is one of the millions of people barely able to make ends meet since the island nation's economy plunged into its worst financial crisis in decades in 2022.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the National Peoples’ Power (NPP), an alliance of left-leaning groups led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or Peoples’ Liberation Front, has emerged as the leading contender.