Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2021, Edappadi K Palaniswamy profile: AIADMK leader records hatrick win

Outgoing Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy recorded his third consecutive win from the Edappadi Assembly constituency by a record margin of 93,802 votes, said reports. Palaniswami polled 1,63,154 votes while his closest rival, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s pick,  37-year-old T Sampathkumar, secured 69,352 votes. Also in the fray was 53-year-old AMMK candidate Pookadai N Sekar. Palaniswami is the joint coordinator of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) along with deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam. Palaniswami has previously won from Edappadi, an AIADMK stronghold, four times: 1989, 1991, 2011 and 2016. According to the Hindu, hailing from the rural Nedungulam village in Edappadi taluk, Palaniswami joined AIADMK in the 1980s. He threw his weight behind Jayalalithaa when the party suffered a split after the demise of founder M.G. Ramachandran in 1987. He was sworn in as the state chief minister on 16 February 2017, following the resignation of O Panneerselvam, who became chief minister after the demise of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Palaniswami also holds the charge of Home, Prohibition and Excise Departments along with some other portfolios. He was elected from the Edappadi constituency. During his reign, he introduced various schemes like Kudimaramaththu Work, FAME India scheme and Amma Patrol was introduced in Tamil Nadu to ascertain the security of women and children in public places. Palaniswami, a farmer by occupation, who remained on the sidelines for almost a decade, was inducted into the Cabinet as State Highways and Minor Ports Minister after winning from Edappadi seat in 2011. He soon went on to become a close confidante of Jayalalithaa. Even after becoming chief minister in 2017, Palaniswami has regularly visited his constituency at least once a month, where he attends government programmes and inaugurates or lays the foundation for projects. According to The New Indian Express, after he assumed charge as chief minister, the Edappadi segment has attained the name of “Chief Minister’s constituency.”

Election date and timing

The Tamil Nadu Assembly polls will be held on  6 April 2021 , along with Kerala and Puducherry. The day will also see phase three polls in Assam and West Bengal. 92,000 polling booths will be there for the assembly polls. The counting of the votes is scheduled for 2 May. The official notification of the Assembly polls in the state is scheduled for 12 March. The nomination of candidates will be accepted from then till 19 March. The scrutiny of nominations will be done on 20 March and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is 22 March. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has a total number of 234 seats, of which 45 are reserved constituencies (42 SC constituencies and 3 ST Constituencies). The current term of the Assembly ends on 24 May 2021.