J Jayalalithaa, general secretary of the AIADMK, has convened a meeting of the party MlAs on May 22 at 7 am, a release issued to the media on Friday morning said. Though she is silent about the agenda of the meeting, it is widely believed that the AIADMK MlAs would elect Jayalalithaa as the leader of the legislature party as a prelude to her being sworn in as Chief Minister.
The AIADMK leader had lost the post of Chief Minister and membership of the legislative Assembly in September 2014 following her conviction and sentencing by the Bangalore Special Court in the Disproportionate Assets case. The Karnataka High Court on Monday overturned the Special Court verdict and acquitted Jayalalithaa and three others of all charges following an appeal filed by her. Since then the AIADMK cadre has been waiting for Jayalalithaa’s return to Fort Saint George (Tamil Nadu’s seat of power) as Chief Minister.
Since the meeting of the MlAs is scheduled at 7 am, it is expected that Jayalalithaa would be sworn in as Chief Minister the same day. She has not made any public appearance even after the High Court set her free of all charges giving rise to speculation that she was worried over the “arithmetical errors” reported to have been made in the verdict delivered by the single Bench judge of the Karnataka High Court.
The explanation given by her close confidantes is that Jayalalithaa was waiting for the auspicious day for her election as the legislature party leader and also for the swearin-in ceremony as the Chief Minister. CR Saraswathi, the party spokesperson, had told The Pioneer that usually auspicious things would not be done during the Tamil months of Chithirai and Aadi. The month of Chithirai got over on Thursday. Jayalalithaa’s order summoning the MlAs was issued on Friday, the first day of Vaikashi believed to be an auspicious month.
Though sources in Thalamai Kazhagam (the AIADMK headquarters) feigned ignorance about the modalities scheduled for next Friday, Intelligence officials said at least ten members of the Panneerselvam Ministry would be shown the door. ‘Since it is the AIADMK, one has to wait till next Friday to know the details,” said a senior intelligence official.