Anura Kumara new JVP leader

February 2, 2014, 10:35 pm 

Outgoing JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe hugs his successor Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the party’s seventh convention held at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday.

By Dasun Edirisinghe

JVP parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was yesterday unanimously elected as the new party leader at its seventh convention held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.

Dissanayake succeeds Somawansa Amarasinghe, who served as the Leader of the JVP from 1994 after demise of the founder leader Rohana Wijeweera in 1989.

An old boy of the Thambuttegama Central College, Dissanayake is a Physical Science graduate of the Kelaniya University.

Dissanayake was the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation in the UPFA government under then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga from 2004 to 2005.

General Secretary Tilvin Silva was re-elected at yesterday’s convention and a new post called National Organiser was awarded to Bimal Ratnayake.

The JVP media team said that former leader Somawansa Amarasinghe was elected the International Affairs Secretary, Vijitha Herath the Propaganda Secretary, K. D. Lalkantha the Administrative Secretary and Sunil Handunnetti the Finance Secretary.

The post of Finance Secretary was earlier held by Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Meanwhile, two new members were elected to the party Politburo. Two new members are Bimal Ratnayake and Sunil Handunnetti. Other members of the Politburo are Somawansa Amarasinghe, Tilvin Silva, Anura Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath and K. D. Lalkantha.

The Central Committee was also increased by five. The new Central Committee of 30 Members was also elected unanimously. The policy framework of the JVP under the theme ‘Our Vision’ was adopted unanimously at the convention.

Members of the new Central Committee are Somawansa Amarasinghe, Tilvin Silva, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Vijitha Herath, K. D. Lal Kantha, Bimal Ratnayaka, Sunil Handunneththi, Jinadasa Kithulegoda, Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Lakshman Nipunarachchi, Nihal Galappaththi, Samantha Vidyaratna, Mahinda Jayasinghe, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Gamini Ratnayaka, Wasantha Piyatissa, Attorney at Law Sunil Watagala, Samanmalee Gunasinghe, H.P. Dhammika, Chandrika Adhikary, Wasantha Samarasinghe, Samantha Koralearachchi, Sumathipala Manawadu, M.D. Wijeratna, Sisira Kumara Wahalathanthri, Namal Karunartna, Nalin Hewage, T.B. Sarath, Sudath Balagalla and Janaka Adhikary.