Panneerselvam continues to be optimistic about his chances even as the new CM Palaniswami was sworn in on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will seek a vote of confidence on February 18. Speaker P Dhanapal has convened the session of the Tamil Nadu assembly at 11 am on Saturday for the trust vote, Assembly Secretary A M P Jamaludeen said in a statement. "On that day, the vote of confidence will be taken up," he said.
Palaniswami, a VK Sasikala loyalist, was on Thursday sworn-in as the Chief Minister, ending the 10-day political uncertainty in the state which began with caretaker CM O Panneerselvam's revolt against the AIADMK general secretary.
While inviting him to form the government earlier in the day, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had asked Palaniswami, the AIADMK Legislature Party Leader, to form his ministry at the earliest and seek a vote of confidence in the assembly within 15 days. Last night, Palaniswami had submitted to the governor a list of 124 MLAs supporting him. Tamil Nadu has a 234-member legislative assembly.
Palaniswami exuded confidence that he would prove his majority in the Assembly and ensure that "the government of Amma (Jayalalithaa) will continue."
"I wish to say that Amma's (Jayalalithaa) government will continue by me proving majority in the Assembly," he told reporters in his first media interaction after taking over as Chief Minister of the southern state.
LAter, Palaniswami visited the memorials of party founder M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa where he paid floral tributes. As a mark of reverence, Palaniswami prostrated at Jayalalithaa's memorial on the marina. He was accompanied among others by AIADMK deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran, who is a nephew of Sasikala.
Before heading for a Karnataka prison where she would serve the remainder of her jail term, Sasikala had reinducted Dinakaran into the party, five years after Jayalalithaa had expelled him. Sasikala also appointed Dinakaran as her deputy, virtually handing over the party's control to him in her absence.
Meanwhile, Panneerselvam on Thursday evening also paid floral tributes at the burial site of Jayalalithaa and said he along with his supporters have vowed to oust the dispensation led by Sasikala and his family and replace it by "Amma's government". He, along with his supporters, including former Minster K Munisamy, took a vow to "reinstate Amma's regime".
"It is the Sasikala's family which has now taken over the reins of the government," he told reporters. "We have received the blessings of 'Amma' to oust Sasikala's regime and reinstate Amma's government," he said.
Panneerselvam said he and his supporters have vowed to reinstate "Amma's government", and "rallies" of voters would be taken out in all the constituencies on Friday to urge the MLAs to take a 'fair decision' over voting in the assembly, scheduled for February 18.
He claimed that the Palaniswami-led government "does not enjoy" the support of people and party cadres. "They (people and cadres) do not like this regime and this government will be overthrown by the people soon," he claimed.
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