Dissanayake has been involved with the JVP since his school days and was active in student politics in university before joining the JVP politburo in 1995. He has been a member of parliament since September 2000, having been either appointed from the national list or elected, Dissanayake served as the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation from 2004 to 2005 and Chief Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018. He was named the leader of JVP at the 7th National Convention of the party, held on 2 February 2014.[1]
Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968 in the village of Thambuthegama in the Anuradhapura District, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. His father was a labourer and his mother was a housewife, he had one sister.[2] Dissanayake received his education at the Thambuthegama Gamini Maha Vidyalaya and the Thambuthegama Central College, becoming the first student from the college to gain university entrance.[2] Having been involved in the JVP from his school days, Dissanayake joined the JVP in 1987, becoming active in student politics, engaged in full time political activities from 1987, with the onset of the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection.[2] He entered the University of Peradeniya and left a few months later due to threats. He transferred to the University of Kelaniya a year later in 1992 and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in physical science.[3]
In 1995, he become the National Organizer of the Socialist Students Association and was appointed to the Central Working Committee of the JVP. He appointed to the Politburo of the JVP in 1998.[3] The JVP having re-entered mainstream politics under Somawansa Amarasinghe, supported Chandrika Kumaratunga in the 1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election, however soon became vocal critics of the Kumaranatunga administration.
On 2 February 2014, during the 17th National Convention of the JVP, Dissanayake was named as the new leader of the JVP, succeeding Somawansa Amarasinghe.
On 18 August 2019, the National People's Power, a political organization led by the JVP, announced that Dissanayake would be its presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential elections. Dissanayake became the 3rd most successful candidate in the election, receiving 418,553 votes.[7]
