Governor kept the two groups of AIADMK in suspense as he gave audience to both, OPS and Sasikala camps, but kept his own counsel as to what his decision will be.

Tamil Nadu continued to be on the edge of suspense on a day when high drama marked the journey of high profile AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala from posh Poes Garden to prison in Bengaluru.

She never took it lying down, her conviction and evicted from electoral politics and constitutional office, and fought back – putting up her proxy Edapaddi Palaniswamy as chief ministerial candidate and strengthening her stranglehold on the party – appointing her nephew TTV Dinakaran as her deputy.

This tainted relative will be in charge of the party as if her absence from the state will not make an iota of difference and she would remote control the party as well as her government, if Governor C Vidyasagar Rao gave a chance for her nominee to form the government.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told media persons after calling on governor that “We told the governor that Palaniswamy was elected as AIADMK legislative party leader unanimously. He must be invited to form the government.”

“All the 124 MLAs are staying at the resort of their own free will,” asserted A Navaneethakrishnan, AIADMK MP.

After the Sasikala camp, Chief Minister Panneerselvam met the governor with his team and appraised him that MLAs were still confined inside a resort. If they were set free and allowed to vote as per their conscience, OPS will prove majority, said a Rajya Sabha MP V Maitreyan.

AIADMK General Secretary, though lodged in Bengaluru jail, got her proxy elected as AIADMK legislative party leader and also took full charge of the party through her nephew.

Her address for the next four years will be Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru. Sasikala visited Jayalalithaa’s memorial at Marina beach, vowed to avenge her enemies. Sasikala blamed the DMK for the whole mess as it was a case that the DMK filed.

Even on a seemingly hopeless day for Sasikala she drew some blood but for OPS camp it was just floating on hope and by noon, they were dashed as even fresh use of police could not evict or free the MLAs inside the luxury resort.

“Police came and disturbed us. But we told police we are all living on our own. And we will come out only when Chinnamma asks us to,” said a woman MLA. “OPS was a traitor and that he must be taught a lesson,” was the theme song of Sasikala camp followers.