Edappadi K Palaniswami

Edappadi K Palaniswami is an Indian Politician. He is the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He took office in the year 2017. He is a member of the AIDMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) political party and has thirty Members of Legislative (MLA) in his cabinet.

He is the MLA from Edapadi in Salem district. In his political career, Edappadi has served as Minister for Highways & Minor Ports in Tamil Nadu Government and has proved out to be victorious in four Tamil Nadu assembly elections. He won elections in 1989, 1991, 2011 and 2016.

He represented Edappadi in Salem district on all occasions. However, he lost in the year 2004 and 2009. Edappadi K Palaniswami took birth in Siluvam Palayam, Salem District in Tamil Nadu on 12th May 1954. His father Mr. Karuppa Gounder was a marginal farmer while his mother Thavasi Ammal was a housewife. Palaniswami is married to P. Radha who is an agriculturalist. His son Mithun acts as a General Manager in Sriram IT Park.

Palaniswami lives with his family in Chennai. The 13th CM of the state started his political career in 1974. He went to the Sri Vasavi College and opted to do B.Sc. but could not complete it. Later, he joined AIDMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and swore allegiance to its head Jayalalithaa. In the year 1989, Palaniswami contested in Assembly elections for the first time. She represented his district of Salem and won the Legislative seat.

It was the year in which AIDMK lost only by four seats. AIDMK led by Jayalalitha and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) led by late M. Karunanidhi always had tight competition in Tamil Nadu elections. In 1991, Palaniswami again contested for elections and won it. It was the year in which the AIDMK and Congress alliance formed the government.

Jayalalitha got appointed as the CM for the first time. Within five years AIDMK and Jayalalitha lost its power. In 1996, AIDMK only secured four seats. However, from 1998 to early 2000s, AIDMK won the trust of the people, and Jayalalitha again became the CM. With ups and downs in AIMDK, Palaniswami also faced the same and lost the elections in 2004 and 2009. In 2014, she got convicted in a disproportionate assets case and got sentenced to four years in jail. Panneerselvam replaced Jayalalitha, but soon he was succeeded by Palaniswami.