Palaniswami wins confidence vote amid ruckus

Amid absolute pandemonium in the Assembly, Palaniswami won the confidence motion on Saturday

Amid absolute pandemonium in the Assembly, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won the confidence motion on Saturday.

Backed by party chief V K Sasikala, he was supported by 122 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

Of the 234 members of the Assembly — one seat is vacant since the death of J Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016 — 230 were present in the House on Saturday. Eleven AIADMK members, all supporters of former CM O Panneerselvam, voted against Palaniswami; 89 members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and eight of the Congress did not vote.

All DMK members were ejected as they disrupted proceedings and broke the speaker’s microphone and table. The Congress members staged a walk-out.

Besides Palaniswami’s supporters, all other legislators demanded that the speaker postpone the floor test. Their reason: To allow MLAs who had been holed up with Sasikala at the Golden Bay resort near Chennai to meet voters before casting their votes. There was also a demand for a secret ballot. 

Both demands were denied, resulting in protests that soon turned chaotic. Speaker P Dhanapal said in the 12 confidence motions in the history of the House there had never been a secret ballot.

The drama on Saturday was reminiscent of a similar incident in the House in January 1988, because of an internal power struggle in the AIADMK between Jayalalithaa and Janaki Ramachandran, the wife of the party’s founder M G Ramachandran.

After adjourning the House twice, Speaker Dhanapal called for voting at 3:10 pm. Palaniswami would have needed 117, even if the Opposition was there. 

Panneerselvam said, “The battle is over, but the war will begin soon. Amma’s government would be restored by her team. It will take time though.”

The new CM along with Sasikala’s relative and AIADMK Deputy General Secretary T T V Dinakaran went to Jayalalithaa’s memorial to pay respect. 

Palaniswami later told reporters his priorities were getting compensation for damages caused by Cyclone Vardah, to get the President’s nod on an ordinance to not conduct National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), and compensation for drought from the Centre.

On Thursday, he had claimed the support of 124 MLAs, but former Chennai police commissioner and Mylapore MLA R Nataraj said he would not support Palaniswami. On Saturday morning North Kovai MLA Arun Kumar also decided to not take part in the voting as a mark of protest against Sasikala and her family. He also resigned as the district secretary of the party. DMK chief M Karunanidhi could not take part in the voting because of ill health. His son and party Executive Leader M K Stalin emerged from the chaos in the House with a torn shirt. He went directly to the Raj Bhavan to complain to the governor, and then, along with his supporters, proceeded to Marina beach — the site of Jallikattu protests last month — to stage a fast. He was promptly arrested.