Palaniswami may get guv’s invite
Senior AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami is set to take over as Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister in a couple of days after sources confirmed on Wednesday that he would likely be called by the governor to form the next government.
Palaniswami – the state minister for highways, public works and minor ports – might be called by governor C Vidyasagar Rao late on Wednesday. The 62-yearold has claimed the support of 123 MLAs, more than the majority mark in the 234-member assembly. Palaniswami was elected leader of the AIADMK legislature party on Tuesday.
He is a staunch loyalist of “Chinnamma” and was groomed by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The governor called Palaniswami at 7.30 pm .
Sources said Palaniswami emerged as the clear winner in the numbers game as Panneerselvam , failed to muster enough support, even 24 hours after Sasikala was knocked out .
They added legal advisers told the governor that in the present circumstances, there was no alternative but to invite Palaniswami to form the next government and prove his majority.
Though Panneerselvam was planning to go to Raj Bhavan to meet the governor Tuesday evening to claim that he had enough numbers, he only deputed his supporters – AIADMK MP V Maitreyan and senior leader P H Pandian — to Raj Bhavan to request Rao not to invite Palaniswami to form the government. The two leaders, however, could not substantiate their allegation that the MLAs were forcibly confined in the resort and that they actually owed allegiance to OPS.