S. Shritharan Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Hon.
Shritharan Sivagnanam
Native Name:Tamil: சி. சிறீதரன்
සිවඥානම් ශ්රීධරන්
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Office1:Member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
Constituency1:Jaffna District
Term Start1:2010
Birth Name:Shritharan Sivagnanam
Birth Date:8 December 1968
Nationality:Sri Lankan
Party:Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Otherparty:Tamil National Alliance
Relations:Brigadier Theepan
Alma Mater:University of Jaffna
Occupation:Politician
Profession:School teacher

Shritharan Sivagnanam (Tamil: சிவஞானம் சிறீதரன்|translit=Civañāṉam Ciṟītaraṉ; born 8 December 1968) is a Sri Lankan Tamil school teacher and politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Jaffna District and leader of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi.[1]

Early life and family

Shritharan was born on 8 December 1968.[1] He is from Kandavalai in Kilinochchi District though he is originally from the island of Neduntivu (Delft) in Jaffna District.[2] He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College.[3] After school he joined the University of Jaffna.[4]

Shritharan is married to the sister of Brigadier Theepan (Velayuthapillai Baheerathakumarn) who was a senior military commander in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[2] [5]

Teaching career

Shritharan taught at several schools in Kilinochchi District and was principal of Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam.[2] [4] [6]

Political career

Shritharan contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the Tamil National Alliance electoral alliance's candidates in Jaffna District and was elected to the Parliament.[7] [8] [9] He was re-elected at the 2015 and 2020 parliamentary elections.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Assassination attempt

On 7 March 2011 Shritharan was traveling in a van from Kilinochchi to Colombo to attend a meeting of Parliament the following day.[2] Traveling with Sritharan in the van were four others including a police guard.[2] At around 5.30pm the van was on the A12 highway near Nochchiyagama, Anuradhapura District, when three men standing by a white van parked on the roadside pulled out guns and started shooting at Shritharan's van.[15] [16] The men also threw hand grenades at the van.[2] Sritharan's police guard fired back, forcing the attackers to flee in their white van which had no number plates.[2] No one was seriously injured in the incident.[2] Shritharan has blamed the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a government backed paramilitary group, for the assassination attempt.[2] The EPDP has been implicated in a number of assassinations.[17] [18] Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa ordered an investigation into the assassination attempt.[2] [19]

Leader of the ITAK

Following the announcement of the retirement of ITAK party leader Mavai Senathirajah, Shritharan applied for the leadership position in December 2023. He was the favored candidate since he was based in Jaffna and was elected leader of the ITAK on 21 January 2024 defeating M. A. Sumanthiran and S. Yogeswaran; having gained 184 votes to Sumanthiran's 134. Following the appointment he paid respects at the Kanagapuram Thuyilum Illam (cemetery for fallen LTTE cadres).[20] [21]

Electoral history

Election! scope=col
Constituencyscope=col colspan="2"Partyscope=col colspan="2"Alliancescope=colVotesscope=colResult
Elected
2015 parliamentary[22] Elected
2020 parliamentary[23] Elected

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Directory of Members: Sivagnanam Shritharan . . 17 September 2020 . Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka.
  2. News: Jeyaraj . D. B. S. . Assassination attempt on TNA parliamentarian Sritharan . . 12 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719132455/http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/37958.html . 19 July 2011 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  3. Web site: Jaffna Hindu celebrated Children's Day, MP Sritharan was the chief guest . 17 September 2020 . . 1 November 2012 . Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
  4. News: TNA's Sritharan Top Scorer . . 20 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224448/http://www.ceylontoday.lk/thumb/epaper-images/51071.jpg . 23 September 2015 . Colombo, Sri Lanka . A4.
  5. News: Bodies buried throughout Mullivaikkal – Sritharan . . . 14 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120417220321/https://ceylontoday.lk/16-4613-news-detail-bodies-buried-throughout-mullivaikkal-sritharan.html . 17 April 2012 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  6. News: SLA soldiers obstruct ITAK candidate from campaigning in Ki'linochchi . 17 September 2020 . . 12 March 2010.
  7. Web site: Parliamentary General Election - 2010 - Jaffna Preferences . . https://web.archive.org/web/20100513035254/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/GE2010_preferences/Jaffna_pref_GE2010.pdf . 13 May 2010 . Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka.
  8. News: General Elections 2010 -- Preferential Votes . 17 September 2020 . . 11 April 2010 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  9. News: Overwhelming Tamil majority rejects elections under Sri Lankan State . 17 September 2020 . . 9 April 2010.
  10. Part I : Section (I) — General - Government Notifications - The Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981 . The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary . 19 August 2015 . 1928/3 . 5A . 20 August 2015 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  11. News: Ranil tops with over 500,000 votes in Colombo . 17 September 2020 . . 19 August 2015 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  12. Part I : Section (I) — General - Government Notifications - Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981 . The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary . 8 August 2020 . 2187/26 . 5A . 9 August 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  13. News: General Election 2020: Preferential votes of Jaffna District . 17 September 2020 . . 7 August 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  14. News: Jeyaraj . D. B. S. . Did Sumanthiran Win In Jaffna By "Stealing" Sashikala's Votes? . 17 September 2020 . . 15 August 2020 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  15. News: TNA MP's car shot at . . 8 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719132443/print.dailymirror.lk/news/front-page-news/37611.html . 19 July 2011 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  16. News: TNA MP Sritharan narrowly escapes assassination in Anuradhapura . 17 September 2020 . . 7 March 2011.
  17. News: WikiLeaks: EPDP's Targeted Killing Method With Govt Military – Jaffna Government Agent Reveals Secrets . 17 September 2020 . Colombo Telegraph . 17 September 2013.
  18. Web site: Vithanage . Athula . Tamils protest arrest of doctor with "expertise to expose war crimes" . . 17 September 2020 . 27 August 2019.
  19. News: Indrajith . Saman . Speaker says will have attack on TNA MP probed . . 9 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722145756/http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=20184 . 22 July 2011 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  20. News: S. Shritharan elected new ITAK leader . 22 January 2024 . Daily Mirror.
  21. News: S. Shritharan secures ITAK leadership . 22 January 2024 . Daily FT.
  22. News: Jayakody . Pradeep . The Comparison of Preferential Votes in 2015 & 2010 . 20 September 2020 . . 28 August 2015 . Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  23. News: General Election Preferential Votes . 20 September 2020 . . 8 August 2020 . Colombo Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka . 2.

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