AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami moves into new residence in Chennai's Royapettah
Chennai, May 29
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has shifted to a new residence in Chennai's Royapettah after vacating the government bungalow 'Sevvanthi' on Greenways Road, where he had been staying since 2011.
Palaniswami vacated the premises after he ceased being the Leader of Opposition following AIADMK losing its Opposition status following the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He had lived in the bungalow for nearly 15 years while serving as a minister, Chief Minister, and later as Leader of the Opposition. Palaniswami is succeeded by DMK's Udhayanidhi Stalin as the new Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu assembly.
His new residence is located on Deivasigamani Street in Royapettah. As Friday was considered auspicious, Palaniswami, along with his family members, performed the traditional milk-boiling ceremony before formally entering the house.
According to sources, Palaniswami arrived at the new residence after his wife, son and other family members had already reached the venue. After completing the rituals, he left the residence.
Following the DMK coming to power in 2021, several former ministers vacated their government accommodations. However, the DMK government had allowed Palaniswami to continue residing in the Greenways Road bungalow in view of his position as Leader of the Opposition.
Meanwhile, EPS has directed party office-bearers not to issue newspaper advertisements mentioning the previous positions held by leaders who were relieved from their organisational responsibilities.
The directive comes amid continuing discussions within the AIADMK following the decision of 25 party MLAs to vote in favour of the Tamilaga Vettru Kazhagam (TVK) government. Notably, senior AIADMK leaders, including CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani, had reportedly urged the leadership to restore the original posts of office-bearers who apologised for supporting the TVK government.
However, EPS's latest instruction is being viewed as an indication that the leadership is not inclined to reverse the disciplinary measures taken against those functionaries.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar is expected to decide on Friday on Palaniswami's appeal seeking no action against the rebel AIADMK MLAs inside the Assembly.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The political drama in TN never ends! EPS's directive to remove previous positions from advertisements is a clear message to the rebel MLAs. But is this the right approach? Unity is what AIADMK needs right now, not more division. Those 25 MLAs voting for TVK was a big blow, but punishing them further might just push more people away.
Moving from a posh bungalow to a smaller residence is a big adjustment at his age. But EPS is a seasoned politician, he'll adapt. The interesting thing is what happens next in the Assembly - will the Speaker accept his appeal? If AIADMK wants to stay relevant, they need to sort out their internal issues fast. TVK is eating their vote bank.
I can't help but feel this is more about symbolism than substance. EPS vacating that bungalow is a reminder of how quickly political fortunes can change. From CM to LoP to just a party general secretary without official status. The milk-boiling ceremony at the new house is very Tamil though - let's hope it brings him good luck in the next elections.
While I'm not an AIADMK supporter, I think the way EPS is handling the internal rebellion is a bit harsh. Restoring the posts of those who apologised could help heal the party. But EPS seems to be taking a hard line - maybe he's worried about setting a precedent. Either way, the next few months will decide AIADMK's future in TN politics.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.