CHENNAI: In a move heavy with both political and emotional significance, AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has moved out of his long-time official residence on Greenways Road. For 15 years, this bungalow served as the nerve center of his political rise, surviving dramatic shifts in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.The AIADMK chief has now relocated to an independent house – Door No. 4/32 at Deiva Sigamani Street in Royapettah’s Balaji Nagar. Strategically, the new address sits a mere 200 meters away from the party headquarters, MGR Maaligai. On Friday morning, Palaniswami visited his new home and performed special poojas to mark the transition. He is yet to shift his belongs from the ministers’ bangalow. The Greenways Road bungalow was first allotted to Palaniswami back in 2011 when he joined then – chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s cabinet. Even after his meteoric rise to the CM’s chair following Jayalalithaa’s demise in 2017, EPS chose to stay put in the same house rather than upgrading it.He continued to occupy the residence through his tenures as minister, cm (2017-2021), and Leader of the Opposition (May 2021- March2026), remaining there until the end of the DMK regime’s tenure this year. “Since the bungalow was allotted to him during Amma’s regime when he became the PWD minister in 2011, he preferred to stay there until now,” an AIADMK leader from the EPS camp shared, noting that the leader was understandably “disheartened” to finally vacate the space.To ensure a smooth shifting, Palaniswami had previously requested a two-month extension from the state PWD, which is maintaining the ministers’ bungalows, to shift his belongings.The relocation comes at a turbulent time for the leader. Following the party’s recent electoral debacle—which saw the AIADMK lose its status as the official opposition in the state’s 17th Assembly—Palaniswami has been weathering a fierce internal storm.He faced stiff resistance from 25 out of the party’s 47 MLAs. Powerhouses and former ministers like C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani openly revolted against his leadership, while other regional heavyweights including K P Anbazhagan, C Vijayabaskar, and Natham Viswanathan aligned with the rebel camp.Though EPS managed to hold the fort after a tense fortnight of power struggles, the road ahead remains challenging. As a supporter aptly put it, “Now, he has to start a new chapter from a new address to rein in the warring groups, infuse fresh confidence among the rank and file, and revive the party’s legacy.
