Selvam Adaikalanathan


Amirthanathan Adaikalanathan is a Sri Lankan Tamil militant turned politician and Member of Parliament. He is the leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, a member of the Tamil National Alliance.

Early life

Adaikalanathan was born 10 June 1962. He hails from Mannar in northern Sri Lanka. At the age of 15 he joined the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, a Tamil militant group fighting for an independent state of Tamil Eelam in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. He took on the nom de guerre Selvam. Adaikalanathan took on the leadership/presidency of TELO following the killing of Sri Sabaratnam by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on 5 May 1986.

Political career

Adaikalanathan was one of the ENDLF/EPRLF/TELO/TULF alliance's candidates in Vanni District at the 1989 parliamentary election but failed to get elected after coming third amongst the alliance candidates. He was one TELO's candidates for Vanni District at the 2000 parliamentary election. He was elected and entered Parliament.
On 20 October 2001 the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, TELO and Tamil United Liberation Front formed the Tamil National Alliance. Adaikalanathan contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the TNA's candidates in Vanni District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. He was re-elected at the 2004, 2010 and 2015 parliamentary elections. He was elected Deputy Chairman of Committees when the new Parliament met on 1 September 2015.

Electoral history