The 2024 Parliamentary General Election which was held on 14 November has destined that no less than eight former Sports Ministers had been unsuccessful in their bid to re-enter the House, with four being accommodated via the National Lists and the rest having opposed outright for their respective political parties.
A close study of the election results has shown that former Ministers Gamini Lokuge, C.B. Rathnayake, Dullas Alahapperuma, Faiszer Musthapha, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Roshan Ranasinghe, Harin Fernando and Johnston Fernando correspondingly, were in the fray for the Parliamentary General Election.
Of this group Lokuge, Rathnayake, Alahapperuma and Musthapha were in the National List, while Aluthgamage, Ranasinghe and the two Fernando’s, were candidates, who ran for a seat in the Government, from their respective political parties or alliances.
Veteran politician Lokuge, a native of Kesbewa from the Colombo District, turn into the Sports Minister in 2007, while C. B. Rathnayake hailing from the Nuwara Eliya District succeeded Lokuge as Minister of Sports in 2010.
Dullas Alahapperuma, a prominent politician from the Matara District, crossed over from the SLPP to the then main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) two years ago, in the previous House and Faiszer Musthapha from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), was Sports Minister for a six-month duration in 2018.
In the meantime, former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who served in his Ministry from 2010 to 2015, contested the recent election under the New Democratic Front (NDF) ticket from the Kandy District, but was rejected by the voters which reportedly forced him to quit party politics.
Another experienced politician Roshan Ranasinghe, an innate of Polonnaruwa District, who contested the recent poll from the newly formed Sarvajana Balaya alliance led by Dilith Jayaweera for the Kalutara District, also failed to get elected.
Harin Fernando who had two stints as Sports Minister, during a six-year span from 2018 and who ran for Parliament from the NDF for the Badulla District, also could not get re-elected to the House, this time around.
Johnston Fernando, a controversial politician who was Minister of Sports from 2001 to 2004 in the United National Front (UNF) Government, unsuccessfully disputed the 2024 General Election for the Kurunegala District from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) ticket.
The SJB got five National List MP seats, while the SLPP received only a solitary National List MP seat with the NDF receiving two, at the 10th Parliament, which is set to convene for the first time since the end of last week’s election, today (21).
Political analysts are of the view that of all the former Sports Ministers, only SJBs Alahapperuma may stand the best chance of entering Parliament again, but they reckon it is by no means set in stone, due to the highly competitive nature of those competing for a spot from the National List.
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