This article is about the Sri Lankan politician and trade unionist. For the Indian politician, see K. Velayudham Nayar.
K. Velayudam
Honorific prefixHon.
Native nameகே. வேலாயுதம்
Honorific suffixMP MPC
Office 1State Minister of Plantation Industries
Term start 12015
Term end 12015
Constituency mp 2Badulla District
Parliament 2Sri Lankan
Term start 22001
Term end 22004
Term start 32014
Term end 32015
Predecessor 3Harin Fernando
Office 4Member of the Uva Provincial Council for Badulla District
Term start 41988
Term end 42001
Term start 52004
Term end 52014
Birth date6 April 1950
Death date13 October 2015 (aged 65)
Death placeChennai, India
PartyUnited National Party
Other partyUnited National Front for Good Governance
OccupationTrade unionist

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 among 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 among 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
ElectionConstituencyPartyVotesResult
1988 provincialBadulla DistrictElected
1993 provincialBadulla DistrictElected
1999 provincialBadulla DistrictElected
2001 parliamentary[8]Badulla DistrictUNFElected
2004 parliamentary[9]Badulla DistrictUNFNot elected
2004 provincial[10]Badulla DistrictUNPElected
2009 provincial[11]Badulla DistrictUNPElected
2010 parliamentary[12]Badulla DistrictUNFNot elected

References

  1. ^ "Directory of Members: Karuppaiah Velayudam". Parliament of Sri Lanka
  2. ^ "Mr. K. Velayudam". National Trade Union Federation. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  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. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
  6. ^ "Previous Provincial Council". Uva Provincial Council
  7. ^ "Provincial Elections". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 1999.
  8. ^ "General Election 2001 Preferences". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04.
  9. ^ "General Election 2004 Preferences". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04.
  10. ^ "Results of Provincial Council Elections 2004". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07.
  11. ^ "Preferences Badulla". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2009-12-10.
  12. ^ "Parliamentary General Election – 2010 Badulla Preferences". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2010-05-13.
  13. ^ "Velayudhan sworn in to replace Harin". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Velayudhan replaces Harin at parliament". Ceylon Today. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 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". The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1923/02. 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 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". The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/25. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 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. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 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.