Edappadi Palaniswami . K
Edappadi Palaniswami . K
AIADMKMLA · Edappadi- Born
- 12 May 1954 in Siluvampalayam, Salem district (71 yrs)
- Constituency
- Edappadi · AC 86
- District
- Salem
- Party
- All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
- Profession
- Politician (1974– ); agriculturist before politics; AIADMK general secretary since 28 March 2023
- 2026 result
- won by 98,110 votes
- Education
- B.Sc, (Did not pass) Sri Vasavi College, Erode (Chennai University, Year 1976)
At a glance
Education
- SchoolingSchooling in Edappadi taluk, Salem district
- GraduationB.Sc. Zoology, Sri Vasavi College (affiliated to Madras University at the time)
ECI affidavit (2026)
5 pending criminal cases declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹8.99 cr.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Total declared assets | ₹8.99 cr |
| Liabilities | ₹17.00 L |
Career timeline
- 1974Joins AIADMK as a volunteer at Koneripatti branch under MGR's wing; becomes branch secretary.
- 1989First MLA win from Edappadi on the AIADMK ticket; re-elected in 1991.
- 1998-1999Elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from Tiruchengode constituency.
- 2011Returns to the Assembly from Edappadi and is sworn in as Minister for Highways and Minor Ports in Jayalalithaa's cabinet.
- 2015Briefly holds the Forests portfolio (May-August) before continuing as Highways Minister.
- 2016Re-elected from Edappadi; holds the Public Works portfolio in the Jayalalithaa-OPS cabinet.
- 16 Feb 2017Sworn in as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the post-Jayalalithaa leadership churn, with Home, Prohibition and Excise also under him.
- 2017-2021CM tenure marked by the Thoothukudi police firing (May 2018, 13 deaths at the Sterlite anti-copper-plant protest), the Pollachi sexual-assault case (CBI transfer), the 2018 NEET row and the COVID-19 response. Sterlite was permanently closed in 2018.
- 2021AIADMK loses power; EPS retains Edappadi and is elected Leader of the Opposition in the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
- 11 Jul 2022AIADMK general council abolishes the dual-leadership structure; EPS becomes interim general secretary after the split with O. Panneerselvam.
- 28 Mar 2023Elected AIADMK General Secretary in the party's organisational election; leadership upheld by the Supreme Court in February 2023.
- 23 Apr 2026Wins Edappadi (AC 86) with 1,48,933 votes — a margin of 98,110, the largest among AIADMK winners in the 2026 cycle.
- 10 May 2026Took oath as MLA in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly; expected to serve as Leader of the Opposition again given AIADMK's tally as the largest non-treasury bloc.
The 2026 win — Edappadi
Edappadi Palaniswami . K polled 148,933 votes, defeating Premkumar . K (IND) by a margin of 98,110.
| # | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edappadi Palaniswami . K | AIADMK | 148,933 |
| 2 | Premkumar . K | IND | 50,823 |
| 3 | Kasi . C | DMK | 44,011 |
| 4 | Priyadharshini . A | NTK | 8,450 |
| 5 | Govindaraj V. | IND | 1,662 |
→ Full Edappadi (AC 86) seat page · district: Salem
Family
Married to Radha; one son. Brother Govindaraj and sister Ranjitham. Long-rooted in the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community of Salem-Erode-Namakkal belt; family home in Siluvampalayam village of Edappadi taluk.
Party & ideology
EPS represents the post-Jayalalithaa AIADMK in its purest organisational form — Tamil-pride Dravidian politics, agrarian and welfare-state continuity from MGR-Amma, fiscally cautious populism (free-rice scheme, Amma canteens), and a Kongu-belt power base anchored in Salem. He led the AIADMK out of the Sasikala-Dhinakaran wing after Jayalalithaa's death, and after a four-year leadership war pushed out O. Panneerselvam in 2022. In 2024-26 he kept AIADMK out of the BJP-led NDA in Tamil Nadu, contesting 2026 as a stand-alone Dravidian opposition pole.
Notable awards & recognition
- Honorary Doctorate (2019), Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
- Paul Harris Fellow (11 July 2020), The Rotary Foundation
- Z+ category security cover granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (5 July 2025)
Notable statements
Official channels
FAQ
How many times has Edappadi K. Palaniswami won?
Six times as MLA from Edappadi — 1989, 1991, 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026 — plus one term as MP from Tiruchengode (1998-99). The 2026 win came with a margin of 98,110 votes, the largest in his electoral career.
When was EPS Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
From 16 February 2017 to 6 May 2021 — the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He took office after the V. K. Sasikala-O. Panneerselvam churn following Jayalalithaa's death and led the AIADMK government for the second half of the 15th Assembly term.
Why did EPS and OPS fall out?
After Jayalalithaa's death the AIADMK ran on a dual-leadership structure with EPS as Coordinator and O. Panneerselvam as Joint Coordinator. The general council abolished that structure on 11 July 2022, making EPS interim general secretary and expelling OPS for anti-party activity. The Supreme Court upheld EPS's leadership in February 2023.
Is AIADMK part of NDA in 2026?
No. AIADMK contested the 2026 Tamil Nadu election as a stand-alone Dravidian pole, distinct from both the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and the BJP-led NDA. EPS rebuilt the AIADMK cadres after the 2022-23 leadership war and led the campaign personally.
Sources
- Wikipedia · Edappadi K. Palaniswami — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edappadi_K._Palaniswami
- Britannica · Edappadi Palaniswami — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edappadi-Palaniswami
- EPS official biography — http://edappadipalaniswami.in/eps/biography/
- ThePrint · Lion of Salem — how EPS made the AIADMK crown his own — https://theprint.in/politics/from-mgr-amma-to-eps-how-lion-of-salem-palaniswami-made-aiadmk-crown-his-own/1591913/
- Republic World · Edappadi 2026 result — https://www.republicworld.com/elections/assembly-elections/edappadi-assembly-election-results-2026-live-will-aiadmk-chief-edappadi-k-palaniswami-hold-on-to-his-bastion-live-news
- ECI · Assembly Constituency 86 (Edappadi) 2026 — https://results.eci.gov.in/ResultAcGenMay2026/candidateswise-S2286.htm
- Edappadi K Palaniswami on X — https://x.com/EPSTamilNadu