Former MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said this morning (16) that he decided to retire from active politics following a significant electoral defeat in General Election 2024.

He made the announcement during a press conference at the Mahindananda Aluthgamage Foundation’s office in Nawalapitiya.

Aluthgamage said his family's seven decades of involvement in the Nawalapitiya constituency and his own 30-year career in politics.

Citing the election results as a clear message from the Kandy District electorate, he said, “The voters have spoken, and it is clear that my politics is no longer needed. I have therefore decided to step away.”

In the election held on Thursday (14), Aluthgamage contested under the New Democratic Front’s (NDF) ‘gas cylinder’ symbol, receiving only 20,401 votes—a stark decline from the nearly 200,000 votes he secured in previous elections.

“The people have clearly spoken and it is time to respect the people's will and conclude my political career,” he said.