Kumara Welgama ( si, කුමාර වෙල්ගම) (born 5 April 1950) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n politician and a current member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for the

Kalutara District Kalutara District ( si, කළුතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය; ta, களுத்துறை மாவட்டம் ''Kaḷuttuṟai Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative ...

. Welgama had been a minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the past. Since 2020, he has been the leader of the New Lanka Freedom Party and contested elections with the

Samagi Jana Balawegaya The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (, ta, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சக்தி, "United People's Power") is a political alliance that is led by the opposition leader of Sri Lanka, Sajith Premadasa. The alliance was formed with the appro ...

. Welgama was the chief organiser for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the Agalawatte electorate between 1984 and 2000. He was the Minister of Industrial Development from 2007 to 2010 and the Minister of Transport from 2010 to early 2015 in governments led by the SLFP. Welgama had been a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until 2019, when he defected from the party after it supported the presidential candidacy of

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...

, paving the way for the return of the Rajapaksa family. He supported UNP candidate

Sajith Premadasa Sajith Premadasa, MP ( si, සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස, ta, சஜித் பிரேமதாச; born 12 January 1967) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka and Member of Par ...

instead and founded a new party named New Lanka Freedom Party, which joined the

alliance led by

to run for the

2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 16th Parliament. 16,263,885 people were eligible to vote in the election, 31.95% of whom were young voters. The incumbent Sri Lanka People's ...

References

1950 births Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Industries ministers of Sri Lanka Living people Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 13th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka Prisoners and detainees of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Freedom Party politicians Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees Transport ministers of Sri Lanka United People's Freedom Alliance politicians Samagi Jana Balawegaya politicians {{WesternLK-politician-stub