O Panneerselvam is to meet Governor Rao separately at 5 PM, according to sources in CM’s camp.

The O Panneerselvam camp today received a major boost with the AIADMK Presidium Chairman E Madusudanan switching over to the Chief Minister’s side, saying he wanted to “safeguard” the party. “To protect AIADMK, everybody should join hands with OPS (Panneerselvam),” Madusudanan said, adding that he did not want the party to get into the hands of a single family.

He was flanked by Panneerselvam and party Rajya Sabha MP Dr V Maithreyan, amid a celebratory mood in the rival camp. “We welcome him with gratitude,” a jubilant Pannerselvam said and hailed Madusudanan as a tall leader who had worked for the party since the founding days of AIADMK alongside its founder MG Ramachandran.

Panneerselvam slammed Sasikala as a “traitor enacting dramas” who had “betrayed” late Jayalalithaa.

He said that it was Sasikala who had said in 2011 that she did not aspire for any post or position while “pleading” with Jayalalithaa to reinduct her in the AIADMK after being expelled from the party.

A very senior office-bearer in the party hierarchy, Madusudanan, along with other top functionaries like KA Sengottaiyan, had urged Sasikala to to take over the reins of the party, soon after the Jayalalithaa’s demise in December last year.

Several other leaders, including Maithreyan, former Electricity Minister Natham Viswanathan and former Local Administration Minister KP Munusamy were among those who welcomed Madusudanan when he arrived at Panneerselvam’s residence of here.

The Governor is expected to arrive in Chennai around 3 p.m.

The Hindu adds

With the battle lines clearly drawn between the rival camps of the ruling AIADMK following the revolt by Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, the Sasikala camp, which claimed the support of the majority of MLAs, late on Wednesday herded its legislators, numbering over 125, to a luxury resort near Marakkanam, 120 km from Chennai. And over a dozen party MPs owing loyalty to Ms. Sasikala have flown to New Delhi ostensibly to meet the President or the Prime Minister should the need arise.

Earlier in the day, TN Chief Secretary, state DGP TK Rajendran met Chief Minister O Panneerselvam at his residence.

Vaidyanathan, followed by Rajendran, arrived at the chief minister’s official residence at Greenways Road separately and had discussions with him for nearly 30 minutes, sources close to the Panneerselvam camp said.

The meeting between Panneerselvam and the top officials comes at a time when the chief minister has raised a banner of revolt against AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, saying he was forced to step down to make way for her elevation to the top post in the party.

It was not immediately known what transpired at the meeting.

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