Kandy - Kandy District MP and General Secretary, United National Party (UNP) Tissa Attanayake is 47 years old today (17).

Born at Uduwawala near Katugastota in Kandy, on May 17, 1961, Tissa Attanayake received his schooling at Uduwawala, Handaganawa and Morayaya schools. He graduated with a Commerce Special degree from the University of Kelaniya and took to politics joining the UNP political activities as an assistant to Harsha Abeywardena and Ranjan Wijeratne, Chairman and Secretary respectively of the UNP.

Attanayake was elevated in the party by being appointed as the chief organiser of Udadumbara in January 1989. At the election on February 02 1989, he was elected to Parliament as the UNP MP for Udadumbara, and retains the seat.

He has been a Member of Parliament for 19 consecutive years.

He held the Portfolio of Higher Education from 1993 and Central Region Development Minister from 2001.

Attanayake was Secretary of the Kandy District Branch of the United National Party and later became Chairman of the Branch.

Tissa Attanayake was appointed General Secretary of the UNP on October 19, 2006 at the 58th convention of the party.