Edapaddi Palanisamy has been sworn in as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu after a tussle for power that lasted for over a week. Along with him will be sworn in a 31 member cabinet.
Palanisamy was chosen by Sasikala, whose own chief ministerial ambitions were cut short by a Supreme Court verdict in the disproportionate assets case sending her to four years in prison and stopping her from holding a legislative post for the next 10 years.
He was called by Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao this morning to form the government. While acting chief minister O Panneerselvam had also wanted to stake claim to form government, with a clear majority of AIADMK MLAs behind him, Palanisamy was chosen.
However, he will have to prove his majority on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly after 15 days.
A close aide of Palanisamy told the PTI that he was a unwavering loyalist of J Jayalalithaa.
Palanisamy steadily rose through the ranks of AIADMK during his 40-year political career. Since 2011 he has been the Minister for Highways and Minor Ports.
He began his career in AIADMK in 1974. When a similar situation happened after the death of MGR in 1987, Palanisamy had sworn his allegiance to Jayalalithaa.
(With PTI inputs)
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