Panneerselvam camp asks for secret ballot, DMK to vote against Palaniswami

Palaniswami govt, which took charge on Thursday, claims they have backing of 123 MLAs in Assembly

With the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led government scheduled to face a motion of confidence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday, the O Panneerselvam faction has requested the Speaker for a secret ballot.
 
The Sasikala faction claims support of 124 MLAs including the Assembly Speaker and the Panneerselvam faction has the backing of around 11 MLAs.
 
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has around 89 seats in the Assembly, has decided to vote against the Palaniswami government. Congress, which has eight members in the Assembly and is an ally of DMK, is expected to finalise their stand on Saturday morning. Indian Union Muslim League, which has one seat in the Assembly, will vote against Palaniswami.

 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan told reporters the state should be saved from a government run by a family and said that the Palaniswami government's future would be decided at the confidence vote. BJP has no member in the Assembly.
 
A group of leaders from the Panneerselvam faction, including former minister K Pandiarajan, met Speaker P Dhanapal and urged him to conduct a secret ballot, to ensure the MLAs voted according to their free will.
 
Palaniswami was made the legislature party leader by V K Sasikala after the Supreme Court held her guilty in a disproportionate assets case and sent her to a Bengaluru jail. She was involved in a tussle for power with Chief Minister Panneerselvam following the death of the later party chief J Jayalalithaa. Panneerselvam had resigned as chief minister and Governor Vidyasagar Rao had asked him to continue as caretaker CM. Panneerselvam later said he was forced to quit by the Sasikala faction, setting of a power struggle.

 
Palaniswami, who took over the government along with 30 ministers on Thursday, met the members of legislative Assembly (MLAs) in his faction stationed at a resort near Chennai. He was expected to visit Bengaluru to meet the party General Secretary Sasikala. Palaniswami was chosen by the Sasikala faction, now led by party deputy general secretary T T V Dinakaran.
 
On Friday, E Madhusudanan, who has been the party's presidium chairman, issued a statement expelling Sasikala and her relative Dinakaran from AIADMK. The Sasikala faction has earlier said they had expelled Madhusudanan from the post.
 
On Friday, the Election Commission has issued a notice to V K Sasikala on a petition filed by the Panneerselvam faction challenging her nomination as the General Secretary of the party. The EC has asked Sasikala to respond by February 28, 2017.