Many familiar faces will not be present when the 9th Parliament convenes on August 20, with as many as 70 former MPs having been shown the door by the voters at the General Election this year.
Hence, almost 70 former parliamentarians who served as Ministers, senior MPs and party leaders, who contested this time have failed to retain their seats.
The people have chosen fresh faces to fulfil their political aspirations, in the recently held polls.
Among the lost candidates are former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Ministers Ravi Karunanayake , Navin Dissanayake, Daya Gamage, Vajira Abeywardana, Hirunika Premachandra and Arjuna Ranathunga.
While Rajitha Senaratne won the preferential battle and became second in the Kalutara district, his son Chathura Senaratne (SJB) who contested in the Gampaha district was rejected by the voters. Former Ministers Arjuna Ranatunga (UNP),` Ruwan Wijewardene(UNP) as well as former MPs Duleep Wijesekara (SLPP), Ajith Mannapperuma (SJB), Edward Gunasekara (SJB) Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa (SJB) all from the Gampaha district, lost their seats.
Matara district former JVP MP Sunil Handunneththi, Niroshan Premaratna (SLPP), Luxman Yapa Abeywardana (SLPP), and H. Manoj Sirisena (SLPP) also failed to retain their seats.
In the Colombo district former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Ministers Ravi Karunanayake and Daya Gamage, former State Minister Hirunika Premachandra (SJB), Thilanga Sumathipala (SLPP), Sujeewa Senasinghe (SJB) and National List MP A.H.M Fowize (SJB) lost the preferential battle.
In the Anuradhapura district former Minister P.Harrison (SJB), former Minister Chandrani Bandara (SJB), Chandima Gamage (SJB), Weerakumara Dissanayaka (SLPP) and S.C.Muthu Kumarana (SLPP) have not been able to retain their seats.
In the Batticaloa district former deputy Minister S Ameer Ali (SJB), Ali Zahir Moulana (SLMC), G.Srineshan (ITAK) and Seeniththamby Yoheswaran (ITAK) have lost their seats.
In the Kalutara district former MPs Nalinda Jayatissa (JJB) , Lakshman Wijemanne (UNP), Ajith P.Perera (SJB) and Palitha Thewarapperuma (UNP) have lost their seats.
In the Kurunegala district Akila Viraj Kariyawasam (UNP), Tharanath Basnayake (SLPP), T.B Ekanayake (SLPP) and, Indika Bandaranayake (SJB) and S.B Nawinne (SLPP) have been unsuccessful.
In the Badulla district Lakshman Senewiratne (SJB), Ravindra Samaraweera (SJB) have lost their seats. Padma Udaya Shantha Gunasekara (SLPP), Sumedha G.Jayasena (SLPP), Ananda Kumarasiri (SJB) have lost in the Moneragala district.
In the Kegalle district Sandith Samarasinghe (SJB), Thusitha Wijemanna (SJB) have lost their seats and in the Jaffna district Vijayakala Maheswaran (UNP), Mavai S.Senathirajah (ITAK), E. Saravanapavan (ITAK) have lost.
Abdullah Mahrooff and Susantha Punchinilame was dropped from the Trincomalee district while A.K. Kodeeswaran (ITAK) and Anoma Gamage failed to retain their seats in the Digamadulla district.
Candidates
Karunarathna Paranawithana (SJB), A.A Wijethunga (and Dunesh Gankanda (SLPP) who contested in the Ratnapura District too were among the lost candidates while Vajira Abeywardana (UNP), Bandula Lal Bandarigoda (SJB), Piyasena Gamage (SJB) and Wijepala Hettiarachchi (SJB) lost in the Galle district.
In the Puttalam district Palitha Range Bandara (UNP) and Sisira Kumara Abeysekara lost their seats, while Navin Dissanayake (UNP), K.K Piyadasa (SJB) and Mylvaganam Thilakarajah (TPA) who contested in the Nuwara Eliya district also failed to retain their seats.
According to the list released by Parliament media, Nihal Galappaththi (JJB) from the Hambantota district as well as Nalaka Colonne and Sidney Jayarathna from the Polonnaruwa district joined the 70 former MPS who lost out this time.
In the Matale district two brothers Wasantha Aluwihare and Ranjith Aluwihare along with Lakshman Wasantha Perera joined in the long list of defeated candidates who will not be present when the new Parliament is inaugurated on August 20.
Meanwhile, 64 fresh faces have been selected to the ninth Parliament.
The majority of the 53 new faces are from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and there are four new faces from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
One new face has been elected from each of the following parties: The All Ceylon Makkal Congress, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, Eelam People’s Democratic Party, Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani, Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal and Muslim National Alliance in the Ampara district. There will be many more new faces from the national lists as well.
Fresh faces
A majority of the fresh faces are from the Gampaha district and Dr. Nalaka Godahewa (Gampaha - 325,479) topped the preferential votes. Among the new candidates and the second highest of the preferential went to lecturer Gunapala Rathnasekara (141,991) in Kurunegala district.
Major Pradeep Udhugoda Rupasinghage, Madhura Withanage, Premnath C. Dolawaththa and Jagath Kumara who contested from the SLPP are the new faces from the Colombo district.
Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, M.W.D. Sahan Pradeep Withana, Kokila Harshani Gunawardhana, Nalin Ruwanjiwa Fernando, Milan Jayathilake and Upul Mahendra of the SLPP were elected from the Gampaha district.
Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Anupa Pasqual, Lalith Ellawala of the SLPP were elected from the Kalutara district.
SLPP candidates Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Gunathilaka Rajapaksha, Udayana Chaminda Kirindigoda were elected from the Kandy district.
Thennakoon Pramitha Bandara, N. Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda who contested from the SLPP were elected in the Matale district.
Jeevan Thondaman, Marudapandy Rameshwaran, Nimal Piyatissa contested from the SLPP and Mailvaganam Udayakumar who contested from the SJB were elected in the Nuwara Eliya district.
SLPP candidates Sudarshana Denipitiya, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake were elected from the Badulla district.
SLPP candidates Shashindra Rajapaksha, Kumarasiri Rathnayaka, Gayashan Nawananda and SJB candidate Dharmasena Wijesingha won in the Moneragala district.
Galle district: Isuru Dodangoda, Sampath Athukoralage and Shan Vijayalal of the SLPP.
Matara district: SLPP candidates Nipuna Ranawaka, Karunadasa Kodithuwakku, Weerasumana Weerasinghe are the new faces.
Hambantota district: Dr. Upul Sanjeewa Galappaththi and Ajith Rajapaksha (SLPP).
Ratnapura district: Gamini Waleboda, Akila Ellawala, Muditha Prishanthi Liyanage of the SLPP were elected.
Kegalle district: Rajika Wickramasinghe, Sudath Manjula, Udayakantha Gunathilaka of SLPP.
Digamadulla district: SLPP contestants D. Weerasingha, Thilak Rajapaksha, All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) contestant M.M. Muszhaaraff were elected.
Trincomalee district: SLPP contestant Kapila Nuwan Athukorala.
Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal contestant Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi contestant Saanakkiya Rahul Rajapuththiran, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Zenulabdeen Naseer were elected from the Batticaloa district.
SLPP contestants Prof. Channa Jayasumana, Uddika Premarathna, H. Nandasena, K.P.S. Kumarasiri and SJB contestant Rohana Bandara were elected from the Anuradhapura district.
SLPP contestant Amarakeerthi Athukorala, SJB contestant Kings Kumar Nelson were elected from the Polonnaruwa district.
Dr. Gunapala Rathnasekara, Asanka Navarathna, Samanpriya Herath, Udukumburage Sumith who contested from the SLPP were the newly elected from the Kurunegala district.
SLPP candidate Chinthaka Amal Mayadunna and Muslim National Alliance candidate Ali Sabri Mohamed Raheem are the new faces from the Puttalam district.
Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani contestant Kanagasabapathy Vishwalingam Vickneshwaran is the new face from the Jaffna district.
In Vanni district Eelam People’s Democratic Party contestant Kulasingam Thileepan is the new face to Parliament.
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Women parliamentarians
The numbers of women Parliamentarians has declined to seven in the ninth Parliament compared to 13 in the last Parliament. This time Sudarshini Fernandopulle and Kokila Harshani Gunawardhana from the Gampaha district (SLPP), Geetha Kumarasinghe from the Galle district (SLPP), Thalatha Athukorala from the Rathnapura district (SJB), Muditha Prishanthi and Pavithra Wanniarachchi from the Rathnapura district (SLPP), Rohini Kumari Kavirathna from the Matale district (SJB) will represent the ninth Parliament.