Edappadi Palaniswami

Edappadi Palaniswami (born May 12, 1954, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu (2017–21) and the general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK; All India Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation) party (2023–). He has also served as the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly since 2021 against the government led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK; Dravidian Progressive Federation). Palaniswami was appointed minister of highways and minor ports in 2011 and minister of the Public Works Department in 2016 by former chief minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa.

Early life and career

Born to Karuppa Gounder and Thavasi Ammal, Palaniswami grew up in a farming family near Edappadi, a town in Salem district, Tamil Nadu. He completed his schooling and pursued an undergraduate degree, which he reportedly did not complete. Palaniswami is believed to have developed an interest in political activism early in his youth and joined the AIADMK in 1974, about two years after the party was formed by M.G. Ramachandran. During much of the 1980s, he held various positions within the party and participated in district-level politics. Following the death of Ramachandran in 1987, the party split into two blocs—one headed by Janaki Ramachandran, Ramachandran’s wife, and the other led by Jayalalithaa—and Palaniswami joined the Jayalalithaa-led camp.

Palaniswami made his electoral debut in 1989, winning a seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections from the Edappadi constituency. He retained the Edappadi seat in several subsequent elections, losing only in 1996 and 2006. After losing the state assembly election in 1996, he ran for office at the national level and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 from the Tiruchengode constituency but lost in 1999 and 2004. In 2006, after successive defeats in state and national elections, he was appointed the party’s propaganda secretary, a key role that helps determine the party’s public outlook and messaging.

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Ministerial roles and chief ministership

Under Jayalalithaa’s leadership the AIADMK and its allies returned to power in Tamil Nadu in 2011 and retained it in the 2016 election. Palaniswami, who was reelected from Edappadi both times, was appointed minister of highways and minor ports in 2011 and minister of the Public Works Department in 2016. Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016 prompted turmoil within the AIADMK over who would succeed Jayalalithaa as head of the party. At the time, O. Panneerselvam, a close aide and loyalist of Jayalalithaa, was elected party leader and was serving as chief minister. However, V.K. Sasikala, another Jayalalithaa aide, moved swiftly to consolidate power and was elected as party leader, prompting Panneerselvam to resign after about two months in office, a move he later claimed was forced. Days before she was to be sworn in as chief minister, Sasikala was convicted in a corruption case by the Supreme Court of India and sentenced to prison. Before her incarceration, she chose Palaniswami as party leader, effectively positioning him as her representative within the government. Palaniswami was sworn in as chief minister on February 16, 2017.

Palaniswami’s tenure as chief minister was marked by internal factional pressures to lead the party and control the government. The party split into two factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, respectively, but they merged in 2017, creating a dual leadership structure. The merger aimed to distance the party from Sasikala’s influence amid mutual concerns that her faction exerted undue control over the party and prevent a split in the AIADMK government. The Palaniswami and Panneerselvam factions effectively agreed to share power in the government, with Panneerselvam serving as deputy chief minister. Under Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, the AIADMK aligned with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.

Leader of the Opposition

The AIADMK’s defeat in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election to the DMK-led coalition reignited tensions in the party over leadership between the Palaniswami and Panneerselvam blocs. Palaniswami became the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly following the elections. However, the party continued its dual leadership structure, wherein both leaders exercised authority. In the period that followed, a majority of party members pushed for a unitary leadership model, arguing that the existing arrangement hindered the party’s effectiveness. The AIADMK eventually expelled Panneerselvam, citing “anti-party” activities. As leader of the opposition, Palaniswami led the party’s criticism of the DMK-led government under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, particularly over the economy and law and order. Under Palaniswami, the AIADMK once again aligned with the NDA for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.