sentences:  He also helped his elder brother Don Mathew, who was the State Councillor for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate, gaining experience in politics.On his brother's death, Rajapakse was nevertheless reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election of 1945.Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in dragging him into active politics.