Change of guard: Jayalalithaa ‘loyalist’ O Panneerselvam takes over as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Chennai: Within hours of being elected as leader of AIADMK Legislature Party, O Panneerselvam was on Sunday invited by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah to form the government. According to a Raj Bhavan communique, Panneerselvam, who was Finance Minister in J Jayalalithaa's ministry and represents Bodinayakanur constituency in the state Assembly, met Rosaiah and submitted a letter and the resolution passed by the AIADMK legislators who chose him unanimously, a day after the party supremo was jailed in a graft case.

"Consequently, His Excellency the Governor has invited him to form the Ministry," it said without divulging details.

A day after AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was convicted in the disproportionate wealth case by a special court in Bengaluru, AIADMK legislative party members and rebel DMDK MLAs met at the party headquarters on Sunday and elected O Panneerselvam as the next Chief Minister.

The meeting lasted for an hour, after which Panneerselvam alongwith senior party members rushed to meet Governor K. Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan to put forth a letter of support from the party MLAs as well as rebel DMDK MLAs to stake a claim to form the next government.

Read: Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s conviction: Legally down but not politically out

Party sources said that party seniors might request the Governor to hold the swearing in ceremony on Monday.

O Panneerselvam leaves from AIADMK party office. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

O Paneerselvam also served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in September 2001, after Jayalalithaa’s appointment was quashed by the Supreme Court.

In March 2002, he resigned as the Chief Minister and Jayalalithaa was sworn-in after the SC overturned her conviction.

Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa’s lawyers will now move the Karnataka High Court on Monday for bail for her while they were also finalising a strategy for seeking a stay on her conviction and sentence in the disproportionate assets case.

Read: Jayalalithaa verdict: Self-immolation bids, violence rock state

But it may be taken up only on Tuesday when there is a scheduled hearing by a vacation bench because the high court will observe holidays from September 29 to August 6 for Dasara.

Jayalalithaa was charged in 1997, when police seized assets including 28 kilos of gold, 750 pairs of shoes and more than 10,000 saris in a raid on her home in Chennai.

Prosecutors said her assets, which reportedly included two 1,000-acre estates in Tamil Nadu, were vastly disproportionate to her earnings during her first term as chief minister from 1991 to 1996.

Read: Jaya sentenced to 4 years imprisonment in disproportionate assets case, fined Rs 100 crores

Protests broke out Saturday in Chennai and Bangalore, with supporters burning several buses and attacking media crews.