Mannar Electoral District

Mannar Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Mannar in Mannar District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts.[1] Mannar electoral district was replaced by the Vanni multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Mannar continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.

Members of Parliament[edit]

Key

  Independent   Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi   UNP   TULF

Election Member Party Term
1947 C. Sittampalam Independent 1947-1952
1952 1952-1956
1956 V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi 1956-1960
1960 (March) 1960-1960
1960 (July) 1960-1965
1965 1965-1970
1970 1970-1977
1974 S. A. Raheem United National Party 1970-1977
1977 P. S. Soosaithasan Tamil United Liberation Front 1977-1989

Elections[edit]

1947 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 1st parliamentary election held between 23 August 1947 and 20 September 1947:[2]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
C. Sittampalam Independent Key 5,877 59.97%
  J. Tyagaraja United National Party Umbrella 3,381 34.50%
S. Viraspillai Independent Hand 542 5.53%
Valid Votes 9,800 100.00%
Rejected Votes 71
Total Polled 9,871
Registered Electors 14,587
Turnout 67.67%

1952 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 2nd parliamentary election held between 24 May 1952 and 30 May 1952:[3]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
C. Sittampalam Independent Key 5,876 52.62%
V. A. Alegacone Independent Star 5,290 47.38%
Valid Votes 11,166 100.00%
Rejected Votes 113
Total Polled 11,279
Registered Electors 14,959
Turnout 75.40%

1956 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 3rd parliamentary election held between 5 April 1956 and 10 April 1956:[4]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 6,726 53.12%
Sir Kanthiah Vaithianathan Umbrella 4,857 38.36%
C. Sittampalam Independent Bicycle 1,078 8.51%
Valid Votes 12,661 100.00%
Rejected Votes 105
Total Polled 12,766
Registered Electors 15,819
Turnout 80.70%

1960 (March) Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 4th parliamentary election held on 19 March 1960:[6]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 6,463 47.37%
S. H. Mohamed Independent Pot 4,587 33.62%
Sabamalai John Mark Cockerel 2,155 15.79%
N. M. Abdul Caffoor Pair of Spectacles 440 3.22%
Valid Votes 13,645 100.00%
Rejected Votes 126
Total Polled 13,771
Registered Electors 16,936
Turnout 81.31%

1960 (July) Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 5th parliamentary election held on 20 July 1960:[7]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 7,307 55.79%
  S. H. Mohamed United National Party Elephant 5,790 44.21%
Valid Votes 13,097 100.00%
Rejected Votes 72
Total Polled 13,169
Registered Electors 16,936
Turnout 77.76%

1965 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 6th parliamentary election held on 22 March 1965:[8]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 6,896 39.52%
M. S. Abdul Raheem Independent Umbrella 6,040 34.61%
Sabamalai John Mark Pair of Spectacles 4,514 25.87%
Valid Votes 17,450 100.00%
Rejected Votes 121
Total Polled 17,571
Registered Electors 21,418
Turnout 82.04%

1970 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 7th parliamentary election held on 27 May 1970:[9]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  V. A. Alegacone Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 10,697 48.98%
  S. A. Raheem United National Party Elephant 10,628 48.67%
  N. M. Abdul Cader Sri Lanka Freedom Party Hand 513 2.35%
Valid Votes 21,838 100.00%
Rejected Votes 127
Total Polled 21,965
Registered Electors 25,441
Turnout 86.34%

V. A. Alegacone died on 25 November 1973.

1974 Parliamentary by-Election[edit]

Results of the parliamentary by-election held on 25 February 1974:[10]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  S. A. Raheem United National Party Elephant 12,974 49.05%
  S. M. Johan Mark Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi[5] House 12,899 48.77%
S. A. Cader Independent Sun 469 1.77%
S. Percy Emmanuel lamp 108 0.41%
Valid Votes 26,450 100%
Rejected Votes 130
Total Polled 26,580
Registered Electors 29,596
Turnout 89.81%

1977 Parliamentary General Election[edit]

Results of the 8th parliamentary election held on 21 July 1977:[11]

Candidate Party Symbol Votes %
  P. S. Soosaithasan Tamil United Liberation Front Sun 15,141 51.58%
M. S. Abdul Raheem United National Party Elephant 12,929 44.05%
Sabamalai John Mark Independent Lamp 663 2.26%
H. S. Dawood Hand 478 1.63%
M. Kanthasamy Pair of Scales 141 0.48%
Valid Votes 29,352 100.00%
Rejected Votes 84
Total Polled 29,436
Registered Electors 31,767
Turnout 92.66%

P. S. Soosaithasan and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state; and the Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Soosaithasan forfeited his seat in Parliament on 22 October 1983.[12]

References & footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ "The Electoral System". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2010-11-27.
  2. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24.
  3. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24.
  4. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Also known as the Federal Party
  6. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-12.
  7. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-07-20" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24.
  8. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-13.
  9. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
  10. ^ "Results of the Parliamentary By-Elections Held Between 1947-1988" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
  11. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17.
  12. ^ Wickramasinghe, Wimal (18 January 2008). "Saga of crossovers, expulsions and resignations etc. Referendum for extention [sic] of Parliament". The Island, Sri Lanka.