The Tamil Nadu government is likely to shift the state legislative assembly and secretariat out of the historic Fort St. George campus, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay expected to make an announcement on the proposal on Wednesday.
The government is reportedly planning to relocate both the assembly and the secretariat to a new integrated complex. According to reports citing government sources, four locations are currently under consideration—Pattinapakkam, Nandambakkam, Koyambedu and the Highways Department office premises in Guindy.
Fort St. George, a 17th-century fortress built by the British East India Company, has served as the seat of Tamil Nadu’s government and legislature for decades.
There have been several attempts in the past to move the seat of governance out of the historic fort, primarily because of space constraints. In 2024, the then Jayalalithaa government made two attempts to relocate the assembly—first to Queen Mary’s College and later to the Anna University campus. Both proposals were withdrawn following public opposition.
In 2010, the then DMK government led by M. Karunanidhi moved the legislature and secretariat to a newly constructed complex on Mount Road. The old assembly complex was subsequently converted into a library for the Central Institute of Classical Tamil.
However, after the Jayalalithaa government came to power following the 2011 elections, the assembly and secretariat were moved back to Fort St. George.
The proposed relocation, if approved, would mark a significant administrative change for the state. The development comes amid a wider political debate over the Vijay government’s decision to scrap the proposed Parandur airport project launched by previous DMK government.
The government cited environmental concerns, the impact on agricultural land and the potential loss of local livelihoods as reasons for scrapping the project.
