Just minutes after news broke that AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala had been convicted by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case, hundreds of police men swooped down on Golden Bay Resorts in Koovathur to secure the premises.
While it was believed that the formalities would be over in a matter of hours and Sasikala would likely be arrested, that did not happen. Neither did the dramatic visit of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who was expected to meet the MLAs at the resort, fructify.
Following reports that private security men had attacked locals in and around the resort and the media on Sunday, there were concerns that violence could break out in the event that the verdict went against Sasikala; but tight police security ensured that those fears didn’t come true.
At around 11 a.m., a huge convoy of police personnel rode in and just stopped short of the main entrance of the resort. The police officials on duty said that their main concern was to ensure that the MLAs were safe and secure in the premises.
AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala huddled inside with the MLAs and chaired the meeting of the legislature party to chart the future course of action. The team elected Edappadi Palanisamy as its leader.
At around 1 p.m., senior AIADMK leader Sengottaiyan showed to the media Mr. Palaniswami’s letter addressed to Governor Vidyasagar Rao, formally staking a claim to form the government.
OPS aborts visit
By then, there were murmurs that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam would come along with his supporters to meet the MLAs at the resort. Meanwhile, in the evening, Kancheepuram District Collector R. Gajalakshmi announced that Section 144 IPC (unlawful assembly) had been promulgated in Koovathur to prevent any untoward incidents.
At around 4 p.m., Mr. Edappadi Palaniswami went to meet the Governor along with five other leaders. It was believed that the arrest would happen after the meeting. That did not happen again. As it became clear that the arrest of Sasikala would likely happen only in the morning, the reporters and cameramen left, hoping to wake up early and get ready for what appeared to be another long day.
