On May 4, 1972 several Tamil political groups, including Federal Party, Ceylon Workers Congress and All Ceylon Tamil Congress formed the Tamil United Front under the joint leadership of SJV Selvanayagam, S Thondaman and GG Ponnambalam. The TUF changed its name to Tamil United Liberation Front and adopted the demand for an independent state to be known as the "secular, socialist state of Tamil Eelam". CWC declined to extend its support to the newly formed TULF.
1977 Parliamentary General Election
In the first general election contested by the TULF, the 21 July 1977 election in which the UNP won by a landslide, the TULF won 6.40% of the popular vote and 18 out of 168 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament, including all 14 seats in the Northern Province. Votes and seats won by TULF by electoral district The TULF became the official opposition as result of the rout of the SLFP. The TULF's success would lead to riots in which hundreds of Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese mobs. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the TULF was frequently blamed by nationalist Sinhalese politicians for acts of violence committed by militant groups such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In fact, the TULF represented an older, more conservative generation of Tamils that felt independence could be achieved without violence, more rival than ally to youth groups like the LTTE who believed in armed conflict. In October 1983, all the TULF legislators, numbering sixteen at the time, forfeited their seats in Parliament for refusing to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state in accordance with the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. During the 1980s, the LTTE began to see the TULF as a rival in its desire to be considered the sole representatives of the Tamils of the north and east. Over the next two decades, the LTTE has assassinated several TULF leaders, including A. Amirthalingam and Neelan Thiruchelvam.
In the 16 August 1994 election in which the People's Alliance led by Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power after 17 years of UNP rule, the TULF won 1.60% of the popular vote and 5 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament. Votes and seats won by TULF by electoral district
2000 Parliamentary General Election
In the 10 October 2000 election in which the People's Alliance led by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake retained to power, the TULF won 1.23% of the popular vote and 5 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament. Votes and seats won by TULF by electoral district
The legal battle over the control of TULF meant that the TULF led by V. Anandasangaree contested as an independent group and only in one electoral district in the 2 April 2004 parliamentary election, winning 0.06% of the popular vote and no seats in the Sri Lankan parliament. Votes and seats won by TULF by electoral district
