Governor to meet newly elected AIADMK Legislative Party leader

Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasgar Rao will meet this evening the newly elected AIADMK Legislature Party Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, who is expected to stake claim to form government.

"The Governor has given appointment at 5.30 PM to Palaniswami and 11 others," Raj Bhavan sources said.

The development comes shortly after Palaniswami informed the Governor through a letter about his election as the AIADMK Legislature Party Leader earlier in the day.

Palaniswami is expected to stake claim to form government at his meeting with the Governor by submitting the letter of support of party MLAs, who elected him at a resort.

Though it was not announced how many MLAs attended the legislature party meeting, the Madras High Court was yesterday informed by the state prosecutor that 119 AIADMK MLAs were staying in the resort on their own volition.

Palaniswami was elected AIADMK Legislature Party leader replacing Sasikala, shortly after the Supreme Court convicted her in the disproportionate assets case, dashing her hopes of becoming Chief Minister of the state.

Sasikala was on February 5 elected the AIADMK Legislature Party Leader but Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had raised a banner of revolt two days later saying he was forced to step down.

Last week, the Governor had met Panneerselvam and Sasikala, with the latter then staking claim to form the government.

Earlier in the day, the apex court upheld a Bengaluru lower court order convicting Sasikala, besides two of her relatives, in the Rs 66-crore disproportionate assets case in which the late chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was also an accused.