1975 Kankesanthurai Electoral District by-election

January 2014 April 2026 1975 Kankesanthurai Electoral District by-election Sri Lanka presidential no Kankesanthurai Electoral District#1970 Parliamentary General Election 1970 Kankesanthurai Electoral District#1977 Parliamentary General Election 1977 6 February 1975 86.68% S. J. V. Chelvanayakam FFFF00 Tamil United Front 25,927 72.55% V. Ponnambalam Communist Party of Sri Lanka 9,457 26.46% MP S. J. V. Chelvanayakam S. J. V. Chelvanayakam Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Tamil United Front A by-election for the National State Assembly seat of the Kankesanthurai Electoral District, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, was held on 6 February 1975.K. M. De Silva Managing ethnic tensions in multi-ethnic societies: Sri Lanka, 1880–1985 https://archive.org/details/managingethnicte00desi registration 1986 University Press of America 978-0-8191-5397-5 258 The election was characterised by increased tension and marked a turning point in the emergence of Tamil militancy. Background The incumbent Member of Parliament, the Tamil United Front S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, had resigned from his seat in October 1972 in protest against the new Constitution. Chelvanayakam argued that the by-election would function as a test of whether the new Constitution enjoyed popular support or not. However the holding of the by-election was delayed. On 4 November 1973 Chelvayakam wrote to the Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, assuring her that the election would be held without violent disturbances. As the election continued to be postponed, the Tamil movement grew more and more restless and gradually lost faith in the parliamentary process.A. Jeyaratnam Wilson S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and the Crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism, 1947–1977: A Political Biography https://books.google.com/books?id=_2jvhndxPzQC&pg=PA123 January 1994 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers 978-1-85065-130-7 123 Candidates The final date for nominations was 7 January 1975. In the end the by-poll was fought between Chelvanayakam and the Communist Party candidate V. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam was the candidate of the governing United Front coalition.Wilson A. Jeyaratnam A. Jeyaratnam Wilson The Break-up of Sri Lanka: The Sinhalese-Tamil Conflict https://books.google.com/books?id=5kfK34Y7mYkC&pg=PA88 January 1988 C. Hurst & Co. 978-1-85065-033-1 88 Rising tensions The political climate in the Jaffna area (to which the constituency belonged) had become increasingly heated. Calls for a separate Tamil homeland, 'Eelam', were heard from the electorate in run-up to the polls.Strategic Analysis https://books.google.com/books?id=k3dTAAAAYAAJ April 1984 Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses 411 In the election campaign Chelvanayakam argued in favour of the Six Point Plan proposed by the Federal Party in 1972. Ponnambalam warned that a victory for Chelvanayakam would embolden separatist forces. The Communist Party had pushed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to agree that the demands for far-reaching autonomy (beyond the 1957 Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact) would be used in the electoral propaganda. However he promised printed material with this demand never arrived, to the frustration of Ponnambalam. The election campaign was marred with tension, and the government assigned a bodyguard for Ponnambalam for his protection.Mahavalirajan Rajan Tamil/Transnationalism a Convenient Concept https://books.google.com/books?id=XUw_yL5FAxgC&pg=PA16 November 2009 AuthorHouse 978-1-4490-2005-7 16–20 Amnesty In 1974 forty-one Tamil youths, detained under emergency regulations, were released from jail in the run-up to the by-election. These amnesties on behalf of the government was a move seak appeasement.M. R. Narayan Swamy Tigers of Lanka, from boys to guerrillas https://books.google.com/books?id=yzpuAAAAMAAJ 1 January 2002 Konark Publishers 27Gāmiṇi Samaranāyaka Political Violence in Sri Lanka, 1971–1987 https://books.google.com/books?id=QvDHdlk4tGIC&pg=PA216 2008 Gyan Publishing House 978-81-212-1003-4 216 Result CandidatePartySymbolVotes%  S.J.V. ChelvanayakamTamil United FrontHouse25,92772.55%  V. PonnampalamCommunist PartyStar9,45726.46% M. AmbalavanarShip1850.52%Valid Votes35,569100.00%Rejected Votes168Total Polled35,737Registered Electors41,227Turnout86.68% http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/ByElections1947-1988.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20091209231939/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/ByElections1947-1988.pdf dead 9 December 2009 Summary of By-Elections 1947 to 1988 Department of Elections, Sri Lanka Aftermath Chelvanayakam had retained the seat with the biggest margin in the history of the constituency. Chelvanayakam interpreted the election outcome as popular mandate for Tamil independence. The statement made by Chelvanayakam on 7 February 1975 would mark a turning point in the history of the country, in which he justified the call for Tamil sovereignty.B. Raman Observer Research Foundation. Chennai Chapter Sri Lanka, peace without process https://books.google.com/books?id=1DzrAAAAIAAJ 1 January 2006 Saṁskṛiti in association with Observer Research Foundation 978-81-87374-47-3 69Daniel Bar-Tal Intractable Conflicts: Socio-Psychological Foundations and Dynamics https://books.google.com/books?id=lF7l2UXc5jIC&pg=PA179 18 March 2013 Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86708-5 179 This statement marked the first formal pledge for a sovereign Tamil Eelam state.V. Suryanarayan Sri Lankan Crisis and India's Response https://books.google.com/books?id=AT9uAAAAMAAJ 1 January 1991 Patriot Publishers 978-81-7050-141-1 42 Subsequently the name of TUF was changed to 'Tamil United Liberation Front'.Asoka Bandarage The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, ethnicity, political economy https://books.google.com/books?id=KEv-NcII3t0C&pg=PA71 6 November 2008 Taylor & Francis 978-0-203-88631-1 71 In parliament, however, Chelvanayakam was not allowed to table his proposal for 'Eelam'. The by-election marked the end for the aspirations of the Sri Lankan left-wing in the North. However the vote for Ponnambalam was substantial, compared to the popular rejection in the area of Bandaranaike's government at time. Ponnambalam later stated that he regretted having stood in the election. The election left him disillusioned with the Communist Party and the United Front, and he left withdrew from it.Rajan Hoole Rajini Thiranagama Chapter 3 – 1979 – 83: The Mounting Repression Rajan Hoole https://books.google.com/books?id=3i1uAAAAMAAJ Sri Lanka: the arrogance of power : myths, decadence & murder University Teachers for Human Rights January 2001 Thiranagama Rajini 11, 46 978-955-9447-04-7 Ponnambalam expressed his regrets at having contested the 1975 election against such a venerable figure as S.J.V. Chelvanayakam References Sri Lanka Category:1975 elections in Asia Category:By-elections in Sri Lanka Category:1975 in Sri Lanka Category:February 1975 in Asia