Sasikala calls on Tamil Nadu Governor, stakes claim to form govt

Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala on Thursday staked claim to form the government during a 40-minute meeting with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who arrived in the city this afternoon. Couple of hours after caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam visited Rao, Sasikala called on the Governor and gave him a letter presumably containing the names of MLAs who elected her as AIADMK Legislature Party Leader, and requested him to invite her to form the government. [caption id=“attachment_3274812” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sasikala and O Panneerselvam. PTI[/caption] However, the Governor’s response is not immediately known. Sasikala arrived at 7.25 pm at the Raj Bhavan and left after a meeting that lasted about 40 minutes. At 5 pm, Panneerselvam had called on Rao and after a brief meeting told reporters that “good things will happen and dharma will triumph”. The Chief Minister is now meeting his supporters at his Greenways Road official residence. Sasikala was elected Legislature Party Leader on 5 February, paving the way for her becoming the chief minister. Subsequently, Panneerselvam raised a banner of revolt on 7 February, along with his supporters. He currently has the support of leaders like former Ministers KP Munusamy, Natham R Viswanathan, Rajya Sabha MP V Maithreyan and a few sitting MLAs. Against the background of revolt by Panneerselvam, who has the support of a few MLAs, Sasikala has also given individual letters of support furnished by AIADMK legislators.