Karu Paranawithana becomes SJB MP

The name of Karunarathna Paranawithana of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has been Gazetted by the Election Commission to fill the parliamentary seat which fell vacant by the resignation of Ratnapura District SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala.

Paranawithana had previously served as Deputy Minister of Parliament Reforms and Mass Media and as the Deputy Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training.

Prior to that, he served as Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media before resigning to contest the 2015 parliamentary polls from the UNP-led alliance, the UNFGG.

The Parliament earlier informed the Election Commission that a vacancy had been created in the House following Thalatha Athukorala’s resignation as a Member.

Accordingly, the Secretary General of the Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, communicated in writing to the Chairman of the Election Commission that Thalatha Athukorala, the Member of Parliament representing the Ratnapura Constituency, has tendered her letter of resignation with effect from 21 August 2024, and thus, a vacancy has been created following the resignation.

The Parliamentary Communications Department said this has been informed in terms of Section 64(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981.

Thalatha Athukorala, elected to the Parliament representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in the 2020 general election, informed Parliament on August 21 that she will resign as a Member of Parliament.

Athukorala, the sister of the late United National Party (UNP) politician Gamini Athukorala, first entered Parliament in 2004.

She has been re-elected in subsequent general elections in 2010, 2015, and 2020 from the Ratnapura District.

In the 2020 general election, she secured her seat in Parliament as a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) member with 45,105 votes from the Ratnapura District.