Pillayan

Pillayan
சிவனேசதுரை சந்திரகாந்தன்
සිවනේෂතුරෙයි චන්ද්‍රකාන්තන්
Member of Parliament
for Batticaloa District
Assumed office
2020
1st Chief Minister of Eastern Province
In office
16 May 2008 – 18 September 2012
Preceded byVacant
Direct rule from Colombo
Succeeded byM. N. Abdul Majeed
Member of the Eastern Provincial Council for Batticaloa District
In office
2008–2017
Personal details
Born
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan

(1975-08-18) 18 August 1975 (age 49)
Kalkuda, Batticaloa District
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyTamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal
Websitepillayan.com

Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Tamil: சிவனேசதுரை சந்திரகாந்தன்; commonly known as Pillayan; born 18 August 1975), served as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. He is also the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a political party in Sri Lanka. A former armed fighter of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization, Chandrakanthan broke away from the Tamil Tigers along with Karuna Amman in April 2004, and became the deputy leader of the breakaway faction, renamed as the TMVP.

An internal rift in the TMVP led to Chandrakanthan replacing Karuna as the party leader in April 2007. Under his guidance, the TMVP contested in elections to elect members to Sri Lanka's Eastern Provincial Council, as part of a wider coalition which went on to win the elections. Chandrakanthan, who obtained the most preferential votes in the Batticaloa District, was sworn in as first ever Chief Minister of the province on 16 May 2008.[1]