K. Velayudam

Honourable
K. Velayudam
MP MPC
கே. வேலாயுதம்
State Minister of Plantation Industries
In office
2015–2015
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Badulla District
In office
2001–2004
In office
2014–2015
Preceded by Harin Fernando
Member of the Uva Provincial Council for Badulla District
In office
1988–2001
In office
2004–2014
Personal details
Born (1950-04-06)6 April 1950
Died 13 October 2015(2015-10-13) (aged 65)
Chennai, India
Political party United National Party
Other political
affiliations		 United National Front for Good Governance
Occupation Trade unionist
Ethnicity Indian Tamil

Karuppaiah Velayudam (Tamil: கருப்பையா வேலாயுதம்; 6 April 1950 – 13 October 2015) was a Sri Lankan trade unionist, politician and state minister.

Early life

Velayudam was born on 6 April 1950.[1]

Career

Velayudam started his trade union career as a grassroots level organizer for the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU), a trade union representing tea, rubber and other plantation workers.[2] The LJEWU is affiliated to the United National Party (UNP).[3][4] He held several positions at the LJEWU before being appointed its Director Workers Education in 1982, a position he held until 2002.[2] He was elected general-secretary of the union in 2003 at its 23rd Delegate Convention.[2][5] Velayudam became general-secretary of the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), of which the LJEWU is a member, in 2005.[2] He became interim president of NTUF in 2008 before being elected president in October 2011 at its second congress.[2]

Velayudam had been a member of Uva Provincial Council (UPC) since its creation in 1988.[6] Following the death of Percy Samaraweera he became the UNP's chief ministerial candidate in Uva during the 1999 provincial council election but the UNP lost control of the council to the People's Alliance.[7] Velayudam contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the United National Front's (UNF) candidates in Badulla District. He was elected and entered Parliament.[8] He stood for re-election at the 2004 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in Badulla District but failed to get elected after coming seventh amongst the UNF candidates.[9]

Velayudam contested the 2004 provincial council election as one of the UNP's candidates in Badulla District and was re-elected to the UPC.[10] He was re-elected at the 2009 provincial council election.[11] He contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in Badulla District but again failed to get elected after coming third amongst the UNF candidates.[12] However, he re-entered Parliament on 8 August 2014 following the resignation of Harin Fernando.[13][14] After the 2015 presidential election he was appointed State Minister of Plantation Industries by newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena.[15][16]

Velayudam did not contest the 2015 parliamentary election but was instead placed on the United National Front for Good Governance's (UNFGG) list of National List candidates.[17][18] However, after the election he was not appointed to the National List.[19][20] He was the chief UNP organiser for Passara.[21]

Velayudam died on 13 October 2015 at a private hospital in Chennai, India.[22][23][24]

Electoral history

Electoral history of K. Velayudam
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1988 provincial Badulla District Elected
1993 provincial Badulla District Elected
1999 provincial Badulla District Elected
2001 parliamentary[8] Badulla District UNF 40,753 Elected
2004 parliamentary[9] Badulla District UNF 36,328 Not elected
2004 provincial[10] Badulla District UNP 15,423 Elected
2009 provincial[11] Badulla District UNP 14,870 Elected
2010 parliamentary[12] Badulla District UNF 25,056 Not elected

References

  1. ↑ "Directory of Members: Karuppaiah Velayudam". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mr. K. Velayudam". National Trade Union Federation.
  3. ↑ "Thonda slams Ratnasiri as estate crisis widens". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 28 April 1996.
  4. ↑ Satyapalan, Franklin R. (31 October 2012). "Ganeshan challenges supremacy of CWC in plantations". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  5. ↑ "Union Leadership". Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union.
  6. ↑ "Previous Provincial Council". Uva Provincial Council.
  7. ↑ "Provincial Elections". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 1999.
  8. 1 2 "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-09.
  9. 1 2 "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  10. 1 2 "Results of Provincial Council Elections 2004" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  11. 1 2 "Preferences Badulla" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  12. 1 2 "Parliamentary General Election - 2010 Badulla Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  13. ↑ "Velayudhan sworn in to replace Harin". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 8 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "Velayudhan replaces Harin at parliament". Ceylon Today. 8 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "New Cabinet ministers sworn in". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "New Cabinet takes oaths". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981 List of Persons submitted under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1923/02. 13 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "UPFA, UNP national lists announced". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 13 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION — 2015 Declaration under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/25. 21 August 2015.
  20. ↑ "UNP national list". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 August 2015.
  21. ↑ "State Minister Velayudan’s funeral today". Ceylon Today. 17 October 2015.
  22. ↑ Kogulan, Ratnam (13 October 2015). "Ex-minister Velayudhan passes away". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
  23. ↑ Santiago, Melanie (13 October 2015). "Former Minister Velayudam passes away". News First.
  24. ↑ "Former Minister K.Velayutham passes away". Daily News. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
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