Palanisamy’s rise: He hoisted an Amma flag and now he is CM

From being a humble farmer in Tamil Nadu’s Selam district to the chief minister’s chair, Edappaddi Palanisamy has indeed come a long way

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy's rise in the AIADMK from a farmer in Salem district to the high chair has been a phenomenal one. He joined the AIADMK in 1974, and remained a party worker for long. However, what caught Jayalalithaa's attention was hi9s 'devotion'.

In 1985, he put up a separate party flag mast across the Edappadi region with Amma's face on it. The separate flag had on it the picture of Jayalalithaa with the words, Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (revolutionary leader Amma) on it.

Following this, he became an Amma favourite, and there was no stopping him after that. He is considered to be a grass-root worker of the AIADMK, and has made a steady growth in the party over the past 40 years. When Jayalalithaa passed away, he stayed loyal to (now convicted) AIADMK interim general secretary Sasikala. While him being from the Gounder community was one of the reasons for his elevation, observers point out that the loyalty factor came first. Sasikala appointed a Gounder to the post of CM to strike a cast balance in the party accused of always favouring the Thevars.

Palanisamy, although close to Amma was not the first choice to play the role of stand-in CM. He always came after O Panneerselvam and former ministers Natham Viswanathan and R Vaithilingam. However, Amma made sure that he was always a part of the top-rung in the cabinet. When the AIADMK won the elections in 2016, Palanisamy was given additional charge of the public works department, apart from minor ports and highways -- all crucial ministries.

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