Sasikala loyalist Palanisamy stakes claim to form TN Govt

Chennai: In the latest update, AIADMK’s new legislature party leader Edapadi K. Palanisamy met Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, and staked his claim to form the government at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

The AIADMK leader also presented the list of MLAs who supported him to Rao.

The meeting came hours after he was declared the legislature party leader by AIADMK general secretary V. K. Sasikala following her conviction by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case.

Read: After SC verdict, Sasikala camp fights back, expels OPS from AIADMK

The meeting between Palanisamy and the Governor started at around 5:30 pm along with the other AIADMK MLAs who also backed Sasikala. 

Addressing the media earlier this afternoon, Palanisamy said that he was eagerly waiting for the Governor's invitation, adding that the party's priority at the moment is to form a government that follows the footsteps of late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

"Minister Dindigul Srinivasan chose me as the leader of the AIADMK party in the meeting after which all the MLAs unanimously elected me. In order to form a government which follows the path shown by Amma, we have sent a letter to the Governor and are eagerly waiting for his invitation," Palanisamy had said.

"I would also reiterate that Chinnamma also accepted me as the leader of the party," he had added in a bid to end all speculations.

Earlier on Tuesday, the apex court upheld the trial court's verdict that sentenced Sasikala to a four-year jail term her in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case.

Late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa was also accused in the case along with Sasikala and two others.

A bench of Justices PC Ghose and AK Roy directed them to surrender forthwith to the trial court in Bengaluru and serve the remaining part of the four-year-jail term.

Sasikala cannot contest the elections for the next 10 years. The bench, however, abated the appeal proceedings against Jayalalithaa owing to her death.

Hours after the verdict, Sasikala expelled 20 other leaders including caretaker Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam from the party.

Meanwhile, Panneerselvam had appealed to all the AIADMK MLAs and cadres to unite together in the prevailing situation to continue the works left by Jayalalithaa.

He had also asked his party cadres not to fall into the ploys of the opposition that tries to create division in the AIADMK.