Chennai: As AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala prepares to meet party MLAs on Sunday, there are strong indications to suggest that a resolution to elect her as Chief Minister will be moved by the ruling party legislators.
Party sources said a draft resolution had been prepared to bring Sasikala as the Chief Minister in place of O. Panneerselvam, who took over on December 5, after the demise of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
A top functionary said, “We know a resolution to elect Chinnamma as CM has been prepared, following pleas from ministers, MLAs and functionaries at the state and district level. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope Chinnamma will accept the CM post”.
Panneerselvam’s ministerial colleagues were the first to make the demand, within a week of his taking over as CM, that Sasikala should assume the CM post and later on it was followed by other MLAs, besides party leaders at the state and district level.
Despite the disproportionate wealth case hanging like a Damocles sword over Sasikala, there were speculations that she would become the CM before Pongal or immediately after the festival, but the month of January had passed and there was a brief lull in such speculations and demands for Sasikala assuming CM post.
However, political analysts see no pressing reasons for changing the Chief Minister now, as Panneerselvam is carrying on the administration in an effective manner, winning the appreciation of everyone for his handling of the situation after cyclone Vardah hit the coast. He also functioned dynamically to bring the ordinance to hold jallikattu, even though police action on the last day of the protests overshadowed his good work and denied him the laurels.
One of the AIADMK functionaries said, “Panneerselvam personally visited the areas affected by Vardah and listened to people’s grievances which got a good name for the government. Besides, he worked very well to ensure that the damages caused by the cyclone were repaired, removing the thousands of fallen trees in three districts and restoring electricity within a week”.
Besides, Panneerselvam seems to have struck a good chord with the Centre and got into the good books of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His cordial relations with the centre could be useful to get the required support and assistance from the Union government, which is a necessity for TN, facing problems from neighbouring states, besides the financial crunch and huge debt burden threatening the state government, said the functionary, requesting anonymity.
