Ruwan Wijewardene


Dinendra Ruwan Wijewardene is a Sri Lankan politician, He is the current State Minister of Defence & Mass Media non-cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament for Gampaha District and the United National Party chief organiser for Biyagama Electorate. Prior to entering parliament in 2010, he was a member of the Western Provincial Council. He was appointed as the acting minister of defence few times after 2019.

Early life

Born to a political dynasty, he is the youngest son of Ranjani Senanayake and Ranjith Wijewardene. His maternal great grandfather, Rt Hon D.S Senanayake, was the first prime minister of Ceylon and his grand uncle, Dudley Senanayake, was the second prime minister of Ceylon and went on to become prime minister two more times during the 1950s and 1960s. His paternal grandfather, D. R. Wijewardena, was a press baron who was a leader in the Sri Lankan independence movement. A successful entrepreneur, he established Lake House newspapers and played a major role in the independence movement. Ruwan Wijewardene is a nephew of the first executive president J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka and a cousin of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

Education

Wijewardene completed his primary and secondary education at St. Thomas' Preparatory School. He then pursued further studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, where he earned a BA.

Political career

Wijewardene contested the Western Provincial elections in 2009 and was a member of the Western Provincial Council until 2010. He stood for parliamentary elections 2010 and secured the highest number of preference votes from Gampaha District.
He is tipped to be the next Leader of the United National Party.