The Sri Lanka Sama Samaja Party (SLSSP) was formed in 1982, when the LSSP split over the question of a coalition with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party

Sri Lanka Freedom Party

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in...

 (SLFP).

Anil Moonesinghe

Anil Moonesinghe

Anil Moonesinghe was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a Member of Parliament, a Cabinet Minister, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a Diplomat. He authored several books and edited newspapers and magazines. He was Chairperson and General Manager of...

, the leader of the party, charged that the LSSP had been taken over by the 'Bolshevik-Leninist' Bolshevik Samasamaja Party

Bolshevik Samasamaja Party

The Bolshevik Samasamaja Party was the Ceylon section Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma after 1945 and of the Fourth International in 1948-1950, after the dissolution of the BLPI....

 faction and held that the SLSSP represented the true Sama Samajist tradition. Among the other leaders were Cholomondely Goonewardena, G.E.H. Perera, Wilfred Senanayake

Wilfred Senanayake

Wilfred Senanayake former MP representing the electorate of Homagama.He was educated at Nalanda College Colombo. Unbeknownst to his parents, he joined the Army....

 and Percy Wickremasekera

Percy Wickremasekera

Percy Wickremasekera is Sri Lankan lawyer, politician and trade unionist. He was the General Secretary of the United Corporations and Mercantile Union and a member of the Politburo of the LSSP....

.

Scuffles broke out between the LSSP and the SLSSP at the joint May Day

May Day

May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....

 procession that year.

The SLSSP co-operated with the Sirimavo Bandaranaike wing of the SLFP, whereas the LSSP wished to work with the faction led by Maithripala Senanayake

Maithripala Senanayake

Maithripala Senanayake was a Sri Lankan politician and Governor of the North-Central province. He first studied at St. Joseph's College, Anuradhapura then at St...

 and Anura Bandaranaike

Anura Bandaranaike

Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker , and in several cabinet ministries as Foreign Minister briefly in 2005, Minister of Higher Education , Minister of Tourism , Minister of National Heritage and Leader of the Opposition...

, which had split off. The SLSSP worked with Vijaya Kumaratunga

Vijaya Kumaratunga

Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga was a popular Sri Lankan film actor and politician, married to former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga from 1978 to his assassination in 1988.- Family life :In 1978, Kumaratunga married Chandrika Bandaranaike, daughter of the...

 and T. B. Ilangaratne

T. B. Ilangaratne

Tikiri Bandara Ilangaratne was a Sri Lankan politician, author, dramatist, and theater actor he was Member of Parliament for Kandy, Galaha, Hewaheta and Kolonnawa in Colombo district...

 in Hector Kobbekaduwa's presidential election campaign in 1982.

The party dissolved in 1983 and entered the SLFP.