Chennai: It is a tense future that awaits Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami as his MLAs head back to the safe and secure environs of the Golden Bay resort at Kuvathur ahead of the trust vote scheduled for Saturday.

Winning an invite to form the government was an easy one, as the MLAs were firmly on his side holed up inside the Golden Bay resort, but winning the trust and faith of the people is another thing.

For, Palaniswami will have to battle the public perception that he would be a remote-controlled chief minister with the power being held by Sasikala, convicted and jailed for corruption in a Bengaluru prison.

She has already appointed her nephew TTV Dinakaran as the AIADMK deputy general secretary to run the party on her behalf while she completes her four years sentence awarded by the trial court, later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Other than winning the confidence and trust of the people, the very thin majority that Palaniswami has should be a cause of worry as very few MLAs switching sides can spell danger for his government. Instability is built into his government and with a resurgent DMK waiting in the wings, political analysts believe. So this is a big challenge that Palaniswami will have to overcome, to impart stability to his government.

But, fortunately for him, the fear of facing fresh elections so soon with over four years term left will bind the MLAs together. The MLAs know that if they do anything against the party interests, there may be the danger of DMK coming to power or resultant instability might invite a spell of President’s rule and eventual general elections.

If the longevity of the government is a challenge in itself, there are bigger challenges that await the new Chief Minister. First and foremost, the government must tackle the after effects of the worst drought the state has faced in over 100 years and deal with the resultant agrarian crisis that has become more aggravated over the years. Then there is this issue of NEET for which he has to fight for getting exemption for Tamil Nadu students from the common medical college’s entrance examinations. He has to get the centre to agree to it and get the necessary changes made in the interests of the students of Tamil Nadu. There is the Cauvery issue, over which Tamil Nadu has a running battle with Karnataka.

Then, the biggest challenge will be filling the shoes of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and build on Brand Amma if the party has to win popular support among the masses. At present, as many polls by different television channels show the people are with O Panneerselvam who has become a hero after he revolted against Sasikala.

The first real test of the popularity of Palaniswami government and AIADMK led by Sasikala would be in the local body polls that are to be held soon.