Tamara Ilangaratne

Hon.
Tamara Kumari Ilangaratne
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Kandy
In office
1949–1952
Preceded byT. B. Ilangaratne
Succeeded byE. L. Senanayake
Member of Parliament
for Galagedara
In office
1970–1977
Preceded byW. M. G. T. Banda
Succeeded byW. M. G. T. Banda
Personal details
Born
Tamara Kumari Aludeniya

(1925-03-15)15 March 1925
Died5 October 2000(2000-10-05) (aged 75)
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partySri Lanka Freedom Party
SpouseT. B. Ilangaratne
ChildrenSandhya, Rohana, Upeksha, Udaya
Occupationpolitician

Tamara Kumari Ilangaratne (née Aludeniya; 15 March 1925 – 5 October 2000) was a Ceylonese politician.[1] She was the third female member to be elected to parliament in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).[2]

Ilangaratne was elected as the independent representative for Kandy in parliamentary by-election held on 18 June 1949, where she polled 10,062 votes (50.75% of the total vote) succeeding her husband T. B. Ilangaratne who had been unseated in an election petition and striped of his civic rights.[3] At the 2nd parliamentary elections in 1952, she failed to retain her seat, losing to the United National Party (UNP) candidate, E. L. Senanayake who received 11,349 votes (58.45%) as opposed to Ilangaratne's 7,644 votes (39.37%).[4]

In 1965 Ilangaratne contested the seat of Galagedara at the 6th parliamentary elections, representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. She was narrowly beaten by the UNP candidate, W. M. G. T. Banda, by 574 votes. She was however successful at the subsequent parliamentary elections in 1970 defeating W. M. G. T. Banda, by 2,560 votes (securing 55% of the total vote).[5] At the 1977 parliamentary elections she lost the seat to W. M. G. T. Banda, by 5,873 votes.[6]

On September 4, 1944, she married T. B. Ilangaratne, a government clerk, who entered politics as a socialist and became senior government minister.

Ilangaratne died on 5 October 2000, at the age of 75.[7]

  1. ^ "Hon. Ilangaratne, Tamara Kumari, M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Lady Members". Parliament of Sri Lanka. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Results of By-Elections subsequent to Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Tamara Kumari Illangaratne". The Island Online. 16 November 2000. Archived from the original on 7 May 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2022.