more-in One could say that Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s ride to the top started with a momentous bus journey on February 8, 2017 – a day after outgoing Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam revolted against V.K. Sasikala. A meeting of the legislators was hurriedly convened at the party headquarters here and moments after Sasikala left the headquarters, the MLAs were coming out to board the waiting buses. “Please come on, quick” were the words from Mr. Palaniswami, the then Minister for Public Works and Highways, who appeared keen on securing the legislators. From there, the first stop for the legislators was the official residence of Mr. Palaniswami, before they were taken to a resort on the East Coast Road. At that point in time, not many had any clue that Mr. Palaniswami would become the Chief Minister. His choice — after the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala — came as a surprise, as there were many seniors, including K.A. Sengottaiyan — now School Education Minister — ahead of him in the race for chief ministership. However, it is to Mr. Palaniswami’s credit that he has since then surprised his detractors by consolidating his position in the party and the government. In party circles, he has been known to be a “doer.” In official circles, he is seen as a practical, down-to-earth politician. “EPS Annan is a well-experienced leader. He has been an MLA several times and an MP once, before becoming the Highways Minister in 2011,” points out P. Thangamani, Electricity Minister and a key supporter of the Chief Minister. “Last year, the State faced a drought, said to have been the worst in 144 years. Didn’t the government handle it ably? Is this not enough [proof] of his administrative capabilities?” asks Minister O. S. Manian. “You do not find many complaints as far as the public distribution system or power supply is concerned,” says G. Palanithurai, veteran academician in political science. At the same time, he emphasises that there has been a question mark over the numerical strength of the ruling party in the Assembly. Brickbats galore However, there are others who are scathing in their appraisal of Mr. Palaniswami. Americai V. Narayanan, TNCC spokesperson, asks what the Chief Minister “has obtained for the State in exchange of his support to the Centre” citing the examples of Cyclone Ockhi and the 2016-17 drought. The performance of the State government has been “disastrous” on the financial front, charges Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Madurai (Central) DMK legislator. Not many big-ticket infrastructure projects have been launched. To address this problem, the Udangudi thermal power project of 1,320 MW was recently kick-started. While the government hopes that industrial investment will gather momentum with the implementation of a law on business facilitation, sections of the industry are wondering why the Tamil Nadu government has not yet become as proactive as Telangana or Andhra Pradesh in attracting industrial investment. Leaders of the ruling party are also conscious that serious challenges in governance lie ahead for the Chief Minister in the months to come, as the party prepares to face local body polls sometime this year and Parliamentary elections next year.

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