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All Ceylon Tamil Congress

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All Ceylon Tamil Congress
Akila Ilankai Thamil Congress
அகில இலங்கைத் தமிழ்க் காங்கிரஸ்
අකිල ඉලංකෙයි තමිල් කොංග්‍රස්
SecretaryGajendrakumar Ponnambalam
FounderG. G. Ponnambalam
Founded29 August 1944 (80 years ago) (1944-08-29)
Headquarters15 Queen's Road, Colpetty, Colombo 3
IdeologyTamil nationalism
National affiliationTamil National People's Front
Election symbol
Bicycle
Party flag

All Ceylon Tamil Congress (Tamil: அகில இலங்கைத் தமிழ்க் காங்கிரஸ்), is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.

History

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The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament (50% for the Sinhalese, 50% for all other ethnic groups).[1] This was immediately rejected by the British Governor General Lord Soulbury as a "mockery of democracy".[citation needed]

Due to the cooperation of the ACTC with the United National Party a group led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam broke away in 1949, forming the Federal Party (FP). The ACTC was largely discredited when their ally the UNP moved away from bilingual and bicommunal policies towards a pro-Sinhalese stance. Thus the FP emerged as the major Tamil party in 1956.[citation needed]

In 1972 the ACTC and the FP formed the Tamil United Front, which later evolved into the Tamil United Liberation Front in 1976.[citation needed]

Ahead of the 2001 elections, ACTC joined the LTTE-backed Tamil National Alliance (TNA). In the 2004 elections the TNA won 6.9% of the popular vote and 22 out of the 225 seats in parliament.[citation needed]

The ACTC left the TNA in 2010 and subsequently joined a new political alliance, the Tamil National People's Front.[citation needed]

Leaders

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Leaders of this party:

1947 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 1947 election, the first for the independent Ceylon, the ACTC won 4.37% of the popular vote and 7 out of 95 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Chavakachcheri 11,813 85.51% 1 49.34% V. Kumarasamy
Jaffna 14,324 73.28% 1 46.26% G. G. Ponnambalam
Kankesanthurai 12,126 55.39% 1 57.69% S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
Kayts 5,230 29.21% 0 55.69%
Kopay 9,619 58.90% 1 50.33% C. Vanniasingam
Point Pedro 10,396 43.51% 1 58.39% T. Ramalingam
Trincomalee 5,252 56.15% 1 56.10% S. Sivapalan
Vaddukoddai 11,721 61.24% 1 52.00% K. Kanagaratnam
Vavuniya 2,018 33.39% 0 55.64%
Total 82,499 4.37% 7
Source:[2]

1952 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 1952 election the ACTC won 2.77% of the popular vote and 4 out of 95 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Chavakachcheri 14,801 72.33% 1 67.22% V. Kumarasamy
Jaffna 12,726 60.48% 1 71.66% G. G. Ponnambalam
Kayts 9,517 43.44% 1 73.36% Alfred Thambiayah
Kopay 9,200 43.88% 0 64.57%
Point Pedro 11,609 41.54% 1 65.80% T. Ramalingam
Vaddukoddai 5,261 22.64% 0 69.54%
Vavuniya 1,398 15.52% 0 69.59%
Total 64,512 2.77% 4
Source:[3]

1956 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 1956 election the ACTC fielded only one candidate, party leader G.G. Ponnambalam in Jaffna, who managed to win the seat with 8,914 votes.[4]

1960 (March) Parliamentary General Election

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In the March 1960 election the ACTC won 1.32% of the popular vote and 1 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Chavakachcheri 6,930 32.52% 0 83.20%
Jaffna 5,312 30.56% 0 71.91%
Kankesanthurai 1,448 7.23% 0 71.22%
Kopay 4,936 23.35% 0 77.13%
Nallur 6,808 34.82% 0 73.12%
Point Pedro 2,521 17.91% 0 73.33%
Udupiddy 7,365 34.70% 1 74.84% M. Sivasithamparam
Vaddukoddai 2,955 13.72% 0 75.37%
Total 38,275 1.32% 1
Source:[5]

1960 (July) Parliamentary General Election

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In the July 1960 election the ACTC won 1.66% of the popular vote and 1 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.[6]

1965 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 1965 election the ACTC won 2.44% of the popular vote and 3 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Batticaloa 8,107 12.14% 0 150.59%
Chavakachcheri 7,191 30.59% 0 77.92%
Jaffna 9,350 42.37% 1 77.76% G. G. Ponnambalam
Kalkudah 3,354 19.38% 0 72.70%
Kankesanthurai 6,611 26.13% 0 72.42%
Kayts 5,816 30.02% 0 61.49%
Kilinochchi 4,076 30.76% 0 71.33%
Kopay 8,230 34.34% 0 72.90%
Mutur 327 0.58% 0 150.92%
Nallur 9,860 43.12% 0 72.03%
Point Pedro 6,614 40.43% 0 71.62%
Udupiddy 12,009 46.67% 1 75.47% M. Sivasithamparam
Uduvil 5,577 23.29% 0 72.80%
Vaddukoddai 4,359 17.09% 0 69.83%
Vavuniya 7,265 40.33% 1 73.45% T. Sivasithamparam
Total 98,746 2.44% 3
Source:[7]

1970 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 1970 election the ACTC won 2.32% of the popular vote and 3 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Chavakachcheri 12,921 45.51% 0 86.11%
Jaffna 7,222 29.05% 0 79.89%
Kankesanthurai 3,051 10.00% 0 81.03%
Kayts 1,667 6.80% 0 76.88%
Kilinochchi 9,049 50.19% 1 76.03% V. Anandasangaree
Kopay 11,288 38.38% 0 79.01%
Nallur 13,116 46.78% 1 78.69% C. Arulampalam
Point Pedro 8,902 46.85% 0 79.52%
Udupiddy 11,662 42.02% 0 80.41%
Uduvil 11,656 40.68% 0 78.43%
Vaddukoddai 14,359 51.29% 1 78.67% Dr. A. Thiagarajah
Vavuniya 10,674 41.92% 0 80.82%
Total 115,567 2.32% 3
Source:[8]

2000 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 2000 election the ACTC won 0.32% of the popular vote and 1 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district

Electoral District Votes % Seats Turnout ACTC MP
Batticaloa 6,968 3.74% 0 71.74%
Colombo 5,238 0.52% 0 76.05%
Jaffna 10,648 8.94% 1 21.33% A. Vinayagamoorthy
Trincomalee 3,748 2.82% 0 68.53%
Vanni 721 0.87% 0 42.14%
Total 27,323 0.32% 1
Source:[9]

2001 Parliamentary General Election

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In the first parliamentary election contested by the Tamil National Alliance, the 5 December 2001 election, the TNA led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 3.88% of the popular vote and 15 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district

Electoral
District
Votes % Seats Turnout TNA MPs
Ampara 48,789 17.41% 1 82.51% A. Chandranehru (TULF)
Batticaloa 86,284 48.17% 3 68.20% G. Krishnapillai (ACTC)
Joseph Pararajasingham (TULF)
Thambiraja Thangavadivel (TELO)
Colombo 12,696 1.20% 0 76.31%
Jaffna 102,324 54.84% 6 31.14% V. Anandasangaree (TULF)
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam (ACTC)
Nadarajah Raviraj (TULF)
Mavai Senathirajah (TULF)
M. K. Shivajilingam (TELO)
A. Vinayagamoorthy (ACTC)
Trincomalee 56,121 34.83% 1 79.88% R. Sampanthan (TULF)
Vanni 41,950 44.39% 3 46.77% Selvam Adaikalanathan (TELO)
Sivasakthy Ananthan (EPRLF)
Irasa Kuhaneswaran (TELO)
National List 1 M. Sivasithamparam (TULF), died 5 June 2002
K. Thurairetnasingam (TULF) (replaces M. Sivasithamparam)
Total 348,164 3.88% 15 76.03%
Source:"Parliamentary General Election 2001, Final District Results". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.

2004 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 2 April 2004 parliamentary election in which the United People's Freedom Alliance alliance led by President Kumaratunga came to power, the Tamil National Alliance led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 6.84% of the popular vote and 22 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district

Electoral
District
Votes % Seats Turnout TNA MPs
Ampara 55,533 19.13% 1 81.42% K. Pathmanathan, died 21 May 2009
Thomas Thangathurai William, from 12 June 2009 (replaces K. Pathmanathan)
Batticaloa 161,011 66.71% 4 83.58% Senathirajah Jeyanandamoorthy
Thanmanpillai Kanagasabai
Thangeswary Kathiraman
Kingsley Rasanayagam, resigned April 2004
P. Ariyanethiran, from 18 May 2004 (replaces Kingsley Rasanayagam)
Jaffna 257,320 90.60% 8 47.38% Selvarajah Kajendren
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam (ACTC)
Suresh Premachandran (EPRLF)
Nadarajah Raviraj (ITAK), murdered 10 November 2006
Mavai Senathirajah (ITAK)
M. K. Shivajilingam (TELO)
K. Sivanesan, murdered 6 March 2008
Pathmini Sithamparanathan
Nallathamby Srikantha (TELO), from 30 November 2006 (replaces Nadarajah Raviraj)
Solomon Cyril, from 9 April 2008 (replaces Kidnan Sivanesan)
Trincomalee 68,955 37.72% 2 85.44% R. Sampanthan (ITAK)
K. Thurairetnasingam (ITAK)
Vanni 90,835 64.71% 5 66.64% Selvam Adaikalanathan (TELO)
Sivasakthy Ananthan (EPRLF)
Sathasivam Kanagaratnam
Sivanathan Kisshor
Vino Noharathalingam (TELO)
National List 2 M. K. Eelaventhan, expelled from Parliament 14 December 2007 for non-attendance
Joseph Pararajasingham (ITAK), murdered 24 December 2005
Chandra Nehru Chandrakanthan, from 27 September 2006 (replaces Joseph Pararajasingham)
Raseen Mohammed Imam, from 5 February 2008 (replaces M. K. Eelaventhan)
Total 633,654 6.84% 22 75.96%
Source:"Parliamentary General Election 2004, Final District Results". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.

2010 Parliamentary General Election

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In the 8 April 2010 parliamentary election in which the United People's Freedom Alliance alliance led by President Rajapaksa retained power, the Tamil National People's Front led by Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam won 0.09% of the popular vote and no seats in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Votes and seats won by TNPF by electoral district

Electoral
District
Votes % Seats Turnout TNPF MPs
Jaffna 6,362 4.28% 0 23.33%
Trincomalee 1,182 0.85% 0 62.20%
Total 7,544 0.09% 0 61.26%
Source:"Parliamentary General Election – 2010". Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.

References

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