AIADMK General Secretary and late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala is set to be become the state’s new chief Minister, just two months after Amma’s death.
Reports suggest Sasikala will take oath as the chief minister on February 9.
For the past few weeks there has been a growing call within the party for Sasikala to be chief Minister.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s resignation on Sunday citing ‘personal reasons’, has further set the stage for Sasikala’s chief ministership.
His resignation came on a day when AIADMK MLAs elected party chief V K Sasikala as their leader, paving the way for her appointment as Chief Minister.
AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala with caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.“Due to my personal reasons, I am tendering my resignation from the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Kindly accept my resignation and relieve the Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu appointed by me on December 6, 2016,” Panneerselvam had said in his letter addressed to the Governor.
Panneerselvam was appointed as Chief Minister on the night of December 5 within hours of the death of his predecessor J Jayalalithaa.
Incidentally, it was he who proposed the name of Sasikala for the top post at the AIADMK MLAs meeting held at party headquarters.
Meanwhile, in a separate but near identical letter, Panneerselvam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Rao for all the support and cooperation extended by them during his term.
“I would like to convey my sincere gratitude for all the support and cooperation extended by you during my tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
