Tamil Nadu: OPS camp removes Sasikala from primary membership, Dinakaran & Venkatesh from party posts

A day after Edappadi K Palaniswami sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, AIADMK Presidium Chairman E Madhusudanan on Friday removed General Secretary VK Sasikala Natarajan from the primary membership of the party.

Madhusudanan also removed Sasikala's nephew TTV Dinakaran and S Venkatesh from their respective party posts.

Before surrendering, Sasikala on Wednesday had reinducted her close relatives TTV Dinkaran and S Venkatesh into the party, five years after their expulsion by J Jayalalithaa.

She announced that Dinakaran, her nephew and a former Rajya Sabha member, was being appointed as the party's Deputy General Secretary and urged the cadres to extend their cooperation to him. The two were reinducted following their "apology" issued to her in person and through letter, Sasikala said.

Earlier, Sasikala had sacked Madhusudhanan from the post of Presidium Chairman and the party's primary membership. He had extended his support to the revolting Chief Minister Panneerselvam, who had on February 7 raised a banner of revolt against Sasikala, alleging he was forced to step down for her elevation as chief minister.

Meanwhile, 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.