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New chief minister of India's southern Tamil Nadu wins trust vote

Xinhua, February 19, 2017 Adjust font size:

New Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswamy has won the trust vote, officials said on Sunday.

Palaniswami won a test of strength on Saturday in Tamil Nadu Assembly after 122 legislators from his party - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Khazagham (AIADMK) voted for him. Only 11 votes were cast against him by rebels led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam.

The 88 legislators from opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were marshalled out from the lawmaking body following unruly disruptions. Though the trust vote was scheduled for morning, however it was conducted in evening after multiple adjournments amid chaos after DMK legislators broke chairs, tables, flung mics and heckled the speaker of house, who finally ordered their eviction.

"This morning Palaniswamy met Governor Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan here," a senior official said. "He was accompanied by some of his cabinet colleagues during the meeting."

Last week Palaniswamy was sworn in as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu after AIADMK chief V K Sasikala made him the legislature party leader.

Palanisami is the second AIADMK leader to be sworn-in as chief minister of the state following death of AIDMK supremo J Jayalalithaa.

The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa died in December last year, following which her trusted legislator O Panneerselvam was chosen as chief minister. Soon after Sasikala tried to exert her grip in party and approached Governor to stake claim as chief minister, Panneerselvam opposed her move and pushed state in political crisis, which continued for more than a week.

Panneerselvam was expelled from the basic membership of AIADMK.

However, Sasikala's dream to become the chief minister were dashed on Tuesday after India's top court convicted her in a 21-year-old Disproportionate Assets case along with other two. She was jailed on the outskirts of Bengaluru city on Wednesday to serve a four-year sentence.

The Disproportionate Assets case was originally against Jayalalithaa, and Sasikala along with other two were the co-accused. The case dating back to the 1990s was based on fact that during Jayalalithaa's first term as chief minister, she misused her office to amass assets in a shared fortune with Sasikala and other two.

Sasikala has already served almost six months in jail in the case and now has to serve the remaining imprisonment of three years and six months. Endit