The Mayor of Jaffna is the head of the Jaffna Municipal Council, the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. The office was established on 1 January 1923, with the first holder being A. Canagaratnam. The seat is currently held by Vivekanandaraja Madivadani, who took office on 13 June 2025.
Mayors and Chairmen
The position was originally titled "Chairman" before being renamed "Mayor." The following is a list of individuals who have served as Chairman or Mayor of Jaffna:
| Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Canagaratnam | — | — | — | Chairman |
| R. R. Nalliah | — | — | — | — |
| Sam A. Sabapathy | — | 1937 | 1939 | — |
| K. Aiyadurai | — | 1942 | 1943 | — |
| Sam A. Sabapathy | — | 6 January 1949 | 31 December 1949 | Mayor |
| Cathiravelu Ponnambalam | — | 6 January 1950 | 31 December 1951 | — |
| Sam A. Sabapathy | — | 11 January 1952 | 31 December 1954 | — |
| M. A. M. M. Sultan | — | 5 January 1955 | 31 December 1955 | — |
| S. A. Navaratnam | — | 16 January 1956 | 31 December 1957 | — |
| P. Kasipillai | — | 6 July 1960 | 31 December 1960 | — |
| T. S. Thurairajah | — | 7 January 1961 | 12 February 1962 | — |
| M. Jacob | — | 19 February 1962 | 15 May 1963 | — |
| S. A. Tharmalingam | Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi | 28 May 1962 | 4 April 1963 | — |
| P. M. John | — | 11 April 1963 | 6 May 1963 | — |
| T. S. Thurairajah | — | 15 May 1963 | 6 May 1963 | — |
| S. S. Mahadeva | — | 8 July 1965 | 31 December 1965 | — |
| S. Nagarajah | — | 8 January 1966 | 24 March 1966 | — |
| Alfred Duraiappah† | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 15 February 1970 | 27 July 1975 | — |
| R. Viswanathan | — | 1 June 1979 | 31 May 1983 | — |
| Sarojini Yogeswaran† | Tamil United Liberation Front | 11 March 1998 | 17 May 1998 | — |
| Pon Sivapalan† | Tamil United Liberation Front | 29 June 1998 | 11 September 1998 | — |
| Nadarajah Raviraj | Tamil United Liberation Front | 9 January 2001 | 18 December 2001 | — |
| Sellan Kandaiyan | Tamil United Liberation Front | 15 January 2002 | 13 February 2003 | — |
| Yogeswari Patkunarajah | Eelam People's Democratic Party | 1 September 2009 | ? | — |
| E. Arnold | Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi | 26 February 2018 | 30 December 2020 | — |
| V. Manivannan | Tamil National People's Front | 30 December 2020 | December 2022 | — |
| Vivekanandaraja Madivadani | Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi | 13 June 2025 | Incumbent | — |
(† denotes died in office)
Notable incidents
Several mayors of Jaffna have been assassinated while in office. Alfred Duraiappah (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) was killed on 27 July 1975. Sarojini Yogeswaran (Tamil United Liberation Front) was assassinated on 17 May 1998, shortly after taking office. Pon Sivapalan (Tamil United Liberation Front) was killed in a bomb attack on 11 September 1998. Nadarajah Raviraj, who served as mayor in 2001, was later assassinated in Colombo on 10 November 2006 while serving as a Member of Parliament.
