G. Karunakaran

Govinthan Karunakaran (Tamil: கோவிந்தன் கருணாகரன்; born 1 October 1963), also known by the alias Jana (Tamil: ஜனா), is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, former provincial councillor and Member of Parliament.^[1]

Karunakaran was born on 1 October 1963.^[1][2] He was educated at Cheddipalayam Maha Vidyalayam and St. Michael's College National School.^[2] Following the Black July anti-Tamil riots he left school in August 1983 and in November 1983 he joined Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a Tamil militant group.^[2][3] He received Guerrilla warfare training and June 1987 became TELO's regional leader in Ampara District and Batticaloa District.^[2] Later he became general-secretary of TELO.^[2]

Karunakaran contested the 1989 parliamentary election as one of the ENDLF/EPRLF/TELO/TULF electoral alliance's candidates in Batticaloa District and was elected to the Parliament.^[4] He contested the 2012 provincial council election as one of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) electoral alliance's candidates in Batticaloa District and was elected to the Eastern Provincial Council.^[5] Karunakaran and the other newly elected TNA provincial councillors took their oaths on 28 September 2012 in front of TNA leader and Member of Parliament R. Sampanthan.^[6]

Karunakaran contested the 2015 parliamentary election as one of the TNA's candidates in Batticaloa District but failed to get elected.^[7][8] He contested the 2020 parliamentary election as a TNA candidate in Batticaloa District and was re-elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka.^[9][10]