10 February,2017 08:20 AM IST | | Agencies
Both AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala, and caretaker CM O Panneerselvam met the Governor yesterday in Chennai
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VKâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Sasikala
Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala yesterday staked claim to form the government during a 40-minute meeting with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who arrived in the city in the afternoon.
Ch Vidyasagar Rao
Couple of hours after caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam visited Rao, Sasikala called on the Governor and gave him a letter presumably containing the names of MLAs who elected her as AIADMK Legislature Party Leader, and requested him to invite her to form the government. However, the Governor's response was not immediately known.
O.Panneerselvam
Sasikala arrived at 7.25 pm at the Raj Bhavan and left after a meeting that lasted about 40 minutes. Prior to the meeting she went to the memorial of Jâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Jayalalithaa. A teary-eyed Sasikala placed before the memorial a big closed envelope believed to be the list of MLAs who have endorsed her candidature for the top post.
At 5 pm, Panneerselvam had called on Rao and after a brief meeting told reporters that "good things will happen and dharma will triumph".
Sasikala was elected Legislature Party Leader on February 5, paving the way for her becoming the chief minister. Subsequently, Panneerselvam raised a banner of revolt on February 7, along with his supporters. Panneerselvam, who has repeatedly asserted that he will be able to prove his strength on the floor of the House, has not yet disclosed the number of MLAs supporting him. But he currently has the support of leaders like former ministers KP Munusamy, Natham R Viswanathan, Rajya Sabha MP V Maithreyan and a few sitting MLAs.
