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Upali Samarasinghe

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Rathnayake Hettige Upali Samarasinghe
රත්නායක හෙට්ටිගේ උපාලි සමරසිංහ
ரத்னாயக்க ஹெட்டிகே உபாலி சமரசிங்க
National List Member of Parliament
Assumed office
21 November 2024
PresidentAnura Kumara Dissanayake
Prime MinisterHarini Amarasuriya
Member of Parliament
for Vanni Electoral District
Personal details
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Other political
affiliations
National People's Power

Rathnayake Hettige Upali Samarasinghe (Sinhala: රත්නායක හෙට්ටිගේ උපාලි සමරසිංහ, Tamil: ரத்னாயக்க ஹெட்டிகே உபாலி சமரசிங்க) is a Sri Lankan politician and long-time member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). He was appointed as a National List Member of Parliament in 2024 under the National People's Power (NPP) government.[1][2]

Political Career

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Samarasinghe has been associated with the JVP for many years, contributing to political and social activism. He contested the 2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election from the Vanni District but did not secure a seat through preferential votes due to the lower percentage of Sinhala voters compared to Tamil voters in the region.[3] Despite this, he was selected as a National List MP, emphasizing NPP's commitment to promoting regional representation and inclusion.[citation needed]

Samarasinghe's candidacy marks a historic milestone as he is the first Sinhalese representative from the Northern Province to be nominated from the national list and the only Sinhalese representative from the Northern Province to represent the 17th parliament.[citation needed]

Background

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In the 2013 Provincial Council Election, he served as the Authorized Agent for the JVP in the Vavuniya District.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "NPP appoints two defeated candidates as NL MPs". The Island. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  2. ^ "The Gazette Extraordinary – No.2410/07 – Friday, November 15, 2024 – Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981" (PDF). Election Commission of Sri Lanka. 15 November 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Vanni District Election Results". Ada Derana. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Nomination Process for the 2013 Northern Province Provincial Council Election" (PDF). Retrieved 18 November 2024.