Colombo, Sri Lanka – In an unexpected turn of events, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a 55-year-old Sri Lankan politician, received an invitation from the Indian government in early February. Despite not being in government and leading a political alliance with only three seats in parliament, Dissanayake has emerged as a significant player in Sri Lankan politics. He is now a top contender for the country’s presidency, with some opinion polls even suggesting he could be the frontrunner among 38 candidates.
Dissanayake’s rise to prominence came after the collapse of the country’s economy in 2022, leading to mass protests that forced the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The vacuum created by the resignation of the ruling government allowed Dissanayake and his party to amplify calls for change, attracting citizens disillusioned with corruption and advocating for social justice.
Born in a rural middle-class family, Dissanayake has been involved with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party since his school days. Despite the party’s violent past, including failed Marxist-inspired insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s, Dissanayake has tried to distance himself from that history and reimagine the party’s image.
However, the JVP’s past opposition to Indian intervention in Sri Lanka and its support for the government’s war against Tamil separatists have raised concerns. The party has ruled out any investigation into alleged war crimes committed during the civil war and has opposed the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the constitution, which aimed at devolving powers to provincial councils.
As Dissanayake prepares for the presidential election on September 21, he faces the challenge of breaking the stranglehold of the two dominant political groupings that have led Sri Lanka since independence. Despite his efforts to build a broad coalition focused on anticorruption, questions remain about the JVP’s stance on past conflicts and human rights issues.