Upali Tissa Vitharana (born 30 August 1934) is a Sri Lankan politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister.
He is the current leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and served as Governor of North Central Province from 2019 to 2020.
[1][2] He was the son of Pieris Vitharana, a Public Works Department engineer, and N. P. Maggie Perera, sister of N. M.
[3][5][6] Specialising in bacteriology and virology, Vitharana joined the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo in 1972, serving as its director from 1983 to 1994.
[5] Following retirement in 1994 Vitharana was a professor of microbiology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura from 1995 to 2000 and an advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology from 1994 to 2001.
[8][9] Vitharana was appointed as a UPFA National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2004 parliamentary election.