Minister of Lands MKADS Gunawardena passed away a short while ago, while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.

Born in 1947, MKADS Gunawardena was one of the few MPs who defected to the opposition with Maithripala Sirisena in November 2014. He was then an MP from Trincomalee District.

Gunawardena was one of the SLFP stalwarts who joined with the UNP to form the United National Front for Good Governance in 2015, following the decision by the UPFA to grant nominations to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He was appointed through the UNP national list following the August 2015 General Election.