New Delhi, September 29 – J. Jayalalithaa’s loyalist and senior AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam was chosen the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu in a meeting of the party MLAs in Chennai on Sunday.
The AIADMK had to select its new leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after party chief Jayalalithaa was jailed for four years in an 18-year-old corruption case by a Bangalore court on Saturday.
In a landmark ruling last year, the Supreme Court had said that a convicted leader cannot continue as as MP or MLA and shall be disqualified from office.
The party had issued a whip to all its MLAs to be present for the meeting. Most of Jayalalithaa’s ministers and leaders had been camping in Bangalore since Saturday where Jayalalithaa is lodged in a jail. AIADMK member commits suicide over Jaya verdict
Panneerselvam is likely to meet Governor K. Rosaiah at 6 pm.
Who is O. Panneerselvam?
Panneerselvam, or OPS as he is popularly known, had served as interim chief minister for six months over a decade ago in 2001 when Jayalalithaa had to quit following her conviction in the Tansi land deal case.
Panneerselvam has remained one of the AIADMK supremo’s key loyalists and is known to have never made any effort to be remembered as a former Tamil Nadu chief minister.
He held the key portfolios of Finance and Public Works since Jayalalithaa came to power in 2011. Reports said that Panneerselvam also enjoys the confidence of Jaya’s key aide, Sasikalaa.
