CHENNAI: A day after a special court in Bangalore unseated AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa as Tamil Nadu chief minister by sentencing her to four years imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case, party MLAs on Sunday elected O Panneerselvam as her successor, as she wished.
Jayalalithaa's erstwhile cabinet colleagues - Panneerselvam, Natham R Vishwanathan, R Vaithilingam and Edappadi K Palaniswami - tried to meet her at the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bangalore in the morning to apprise her of the developments that followed her imprisonment. However, prison authorities refused to permit them to meet her. They did not permit a team of officials also from Chennai, led by former chief secretary and advisor to government Sheela Balakrishnan, to meet her.
The MLAs, who met at the party office, formally elected Panneerselvam as their leader. Natham R Vishwanathan proposed his name and over 150 MLAs elected him as their legislature party leader.
Panneerselvam met Governor K Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan at 6.30 pm. According to the constitutional requirement, the party has to first submit its list of MLAs. It is followed by the submission of the name of the chief minister-elect to the Governor, and his choice of cabinet colleagues.
It is up to the Governor to phase out the timing of these procedures. Given the fact that there is no dispute over AIADMK's claim to form the government in the state, the Governor could complete all these formalities in a single meeting.
Panneerselvam to be Tamil Nadu chief minister - The Times of India
Jayalalithaa's erstwhile cabinet colleagues - Panneerselvam, Natham R Vishwanathan, R Vaithilingam and Edappadi K Palaniswami - tried to meet her at the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bangalore in the morning to apprise her of the developments that followed her imprisonment. However, prison authorities refused to permit them to meet her. They did not permit a team of officials also from Chennai, led by former chief secretary and advisor to government Sheela Balakrishnan, to meet her.
The MLAs, who met at the party office, formally elected Panneerselvam as their leader. Natham R Vishwanathan proposed his name and over 150 MLAs elected him as their legislature party leader.
Panneerselvam met Governor K Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan at 6.30 pm. According to the constitutional requirement, the party has to first submit its list of MLAs. It is followed by the submission of the name of the chief minister-elect to the Governor, and his choice of cabinet colleagues.
It is up to the Governor to phase out the timing of these procedures. Given the fact that there is no dispute over AIADMK's claim to form the government in the state, the Governor could complete all these formalities in a single meeting.
Panneerselvam to be Tamil Nadu chief minister - The Times of India
