Kumara Welgama

Hon. Kumara Welgama
කුමාර වෙල්ගම குமார வெல்கம
Leader of the New Lanka Freedom Party
In office 6 March 2020 – 28 September 2024
Minister of Transport
In office 23 April 2010 – 9 January 2015
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	D. M. Jayaratne
Preceded by	Dullas Alahapperuma
Succeeded by	Ranjith Madduma Bandara
Minister of Industrial Development
In office 28 January 2007 – 23 April 2010
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Deputy Minister of Power & Energy
In office 10 April 2004 – 19 November 2005
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Deputy Minister of Transport
In office 3 November 2000 – 2001
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Member of Parliament for Kalutara District
In office 25 August 1994 – 24 September 2024
Personal details
Born	(1950-04-05)5 April 1950 Dominion of Ceylon
Died	28 September 2024(2024-09-28) (aged 74) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political party	New Lanka Freedom Party (2019–2024) Sri Lanka Freedom Party (before 2019)
Other political affiliations	Samagi Jana Balawegaya
Residence(s)	101A Manning Place, Colombo
Alma mater	St Thomas' College

Kumara Welgama (Sinhala: කුමාර වෙල්ගම; 5 April 1950 – 28 September 2024) was a Sri Lankan politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Kalutara District between 1994 and 2024.^[1] Welgama had been a minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the past from 2020, to his death in 2024 he was the leader of the New Lanka Freedom Party and contested elections with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Welgama was the chief organiser for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the Agalawatte electorate between 1984 and 2000. Welgama was the Minister of Industrial Development from 2007 to 2010 and the Minister of Transportation from 2010 to early 2015 in governments led by the SLFP.

Welgama had been a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until 2019, when he defected from the party after it supported the presidential candidacy of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, paving the way for the return of the Rajapaksa family. He supported UNP candidate Sajith Premadasa instead^[2][3] and founded a new party named New Lanka Freedom Party, which joined the Samagi Jana Balawegaya alliance led by Sajith Premadasa to run for the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election.^[4]

Welgama died while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo, on 28 September 2024. He was 74.^[5]

References

1. "Hon. Kumara Welgama, M.P." Directory of Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
2. "CBK And Welgama Decide To Support Sajith Premadasa And Samagi Jana Balawegaya At Upcoming Parliamentary Election". Asian Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020.
3. "Kumara Welgama pledges support to Sajith". The Morning. 12 March 2020.
4. "Kumara Welgama's new political party joins Samagi Jana Balawegaya". Colombo Gazette. 12 March 2020.
5. "Former Minister Kumara Welgama passes away". Ada Derana. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.