Velusami Radhakrishnan

Akandhan Velusami Radhakrishnan (Tamil: அகண்டன் வேலுசாமி இராதாகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1 August 1952) is a Sri Lankan politician and state minister. He is the leader of the Up-Country People's Front (UCPF), a member of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) and United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG).

Hon.

Velusami Radhakrishnan

MP MPC
வேலுசாமி இராதாகிருஷ்ணன்
Radhakrishnan in May 2017
State Minister of Education
Assumed office
12 January 2015
Deputy Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation
In office
9 October 2014 – 10 December 2014
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Nuwara Eliya District
Assumed office
8 April 2010
Member of the Central Provincial Council for Nuwara Eliya District
In office
1999–2010
Personal details
Born (1952-08-01) 1 August 1952
Political partyUp-Country People's Front

Early life and family

Radhakrishnan was born on 1 August 1952.[1] He was educated at Holy Trinity College, Nuwara Eliya, St. Peter's College, Colombo and St. Joseph's College, Colombo.[2] He is married and has four children.[1][2]

Career

Radhakrishnan was elected to Nuwara Eliya Divisional Council and became its chairman in 1991.[2] He contested the 1999 provincial council election as one of the Indian Origin People's Front's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was elected to the Central Provincial Council (CPC).[2][3] He was Minister of Culture and Tamil Education.[4][5] He contested the 2004 provincial council election as one of the United National Front's (UNF) candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was re-elected to the CPC.[6] In February 2005 he was appointed Minister of Tamil Education (other than Muslim Schools) Industries, Estate Infrastructure Facilities, Hindu Cultural Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports.[7] He was re-elected at the 2009 provincial council election, this times as a United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate.[8] In March 2009 he was appointed Minister of Industries, Sports, Women Affairs, Rural Development, Estate Infrastructure Facilities Development, Hindu Cultural Affairs, Education (Tamil) and Youth Affairs.[9]

Radhakrishnan contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was elected to Parliament.[10][11] On 11 September 2010 Radhakrishnan left the Ceylon Workers' Congress to sit as an independent MP supporting UPFA.[12] He joined the Up-Country People's Front as its political leader on 7 October 2010.[13] He was appointed Deputy Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation on 9 October 2014.[14][15]

Radhakrishnan resigned from the UPFA government on 10 December 2014 to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election.[16][17] After the election newly elected President Sirisena rewarded Radhakrishnan by appointing him State Minister of Education.[18][19]

Radhakrishnan was one of the United National Front for Good Governance's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District at the 2015 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[20][21][22] After the election he was re-appointed State Minister of Education.[23][24][25]

Radhakrishnan was elected leader of the UCPF on 6 September 2015.[26]

Electoral history
Electoral history of Velusami Radhakrishnan
Election Constituency Party Alliance Votes Result
1999 provincialNuwara Eliya DistrictCeylon Workers' CongressIndian Origin People's FrontElected
2004 provincial[6]Nuwara Eliya DistrictCeylon Workers' CongressUnited National Front44,525Elected
2009 provincial[8]Nuwara Eliya DistrictCeylon Workers' CongressUnited People's Freedom Alliance18,513Elected
2010 parliamentary[10]Nuwara Eliya DistrictCeylon Workers' CongressUnited People's Freedom Alliance54,083Elected
2015 parliamentary[27]Nuwara Eliya DistrictUp-Country People's FrontUnited National Front for Good Governance87,375Elected

References
  1. "Directory of Members: V.S. Radhakrishnan". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. "New faces in Parliament" (PDF). The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 18 April 2010.
  3. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (15 April 1999). "Provincial Council Elections: A Mixed Result" (PDF). Tamil Times. XVIII (4): 4–7. ISSN 0266-4488.
  4. "'Tamils should preserve their culture'". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 8 February 2002.
  5. Krishnaswamy, P. (15 September 2013). "Heavy voter turnout expected in upcountry". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka).
  6. "Results of Provincial Council Elections 2004" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  7. "PART IV (A) — PROVINCIAL COUNCILS Appointments &c., by the Governors APPOINTMENTS MADE BY THE HON. GOVERNOR – CENTRAL PROVINCE" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1380/02. 14 February 2005.
  8. "Preferences Nuwara Eliya" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2009.
  9. "PART IV (A) — PROVINCIAL COUNCILS Appointments &c., by the Governors APPOINTMENTS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCE" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1594/28. 26 March 2009.
  10. "Parliamentary General Election - 2010 Nuwara Eliya Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  11. "General Elections 2010 - Preferential Votes" (PDF). The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 2010.
  12. "CWC MP Goes Independent". The Sunday Leader. 11 September 2010.
  13. "Parliamentarian Radhakrishnan to lead UPF political wing". TamilNet. 8 October 2010.
  14. "Radhakrishnan appointed deputy minister". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 10 October 2014.
  15. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1884/24. 14 October 2014.
  16. Ferdinando, Shamindra (11 December 2014). "Two deputy ministers quit; CWC suffers split". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  17. Srinivasan, Meera (11 December 2014). "2 more MPs leave Rajapaksa government". The Hindu.
  18. "New Cabinet ministers sworn in". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015.
  19. "New Cabinet takes oaths". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  20. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/03. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  21. "Ranil tops with over 500,000 votes in Colombo". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 19 August 2015.
  22. "Preferential Votes". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  23. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1932/69. 18 September 2015.
  24. "New State and Deputy Ministers". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 9 September 2015.
  25. "State and Deputy Ministers take oaths (Updated Full List)". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  26. "Rathakrishnan elected as Leader of Upcountry People's Front". Tamil Diplomat. 10 September 2015.
  27. Jayakody, Pradeep (28 August 2015). "The Comparison of Preferential Votes in 2015 & 2010". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
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