Palani Thigambaram

Thigambaram was born on 10 January 1967.^[1]

Thigambaram runs a textile business and is leader of the National Union of Workers (NUW).^[2][3]

Thigambaram contested the 2004 provincial council election as one of the Up-Country People's Front's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was elected to the Central Provincial Council.^[4] He was re-elected at the 2009 provincial council election, this times as a United National Front (UNF) candidate.^[5]

Thigambaram contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UNF candidates in Nuwara Eliya District and was elected to Parliament.^[6][7] The NUW left the UNF alliance on 22 April 2010 after a dispute over National List seats.^[8] Thigambaram continued to be part of the opposition as an independent MP.^[9] In August 2013 Thigambaram and two others were charged with attempting to acquire 12 perches of land and a vehicle by force from their lawful owner but the case was dropped after the defendants offered to compensate the victim for the vehicle.^[10]

Thigambaram was appointed Deputy Minister of National Languages and Social Integration on 21 August 2014.^[11][12] He resigned from the UPFA government on 10 December 2014 to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election.^[13][14] After the election newly elected President Sirisena rewarded Thigambaram by appointing him Minister of Plantation Infrastructure Development.^[15][16]

Thigambaram was one of the United National Front for Good Governance's candidates in Nuwara Eliya District at the 2015 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.^[17][18][19] He was sworn in as Minister of Hill Country, New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development on 4 September 2015.^[20][21][22]