Chennai: The DMK on Saturday urged the State Governor, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, to order a fresh vote of confidence in the Assembly.

Senior party leaders, led by the party Working President M.K. Stalin, called on the Governor and submitted a petition following a sting operation by a private television channel in which an AIADMK MLA (S.S. Saravanan) claimed that he was offered gold and large amount of money for supporting Edappadi Palaniswami during the February 18 trust vote.

The revelations of the sting operation, if proved right, would shake the democracy, it said.

The DMK urged Rao’s immediate intervention and (a) Order for a fresh vote of confidence (b) Direct an impartial investigation by CBI into the offences of Prevention Corruption Act 1988 and (c) Direct an investigation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence or the Enforcement Directorate to unearth the money trail and to investigate the offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

“Only such an effective intervention, at the earliest, by Hon’ble Governor will save democracy from being in the hands of a Government whose Chief Minister has been elected under dubious circumstances and won the constitutionally mandated vote of confidence by dishonest means.”

According to the petition, the MLAs – Karunas, Thameemum Ansari and Thaniarasu – were offered Rs. 10 crore to cast their votes in favour of Palaniswami.

“The video recordings of the sting operation telecast, constitutes material evidence which has a significant bearing on the validity of proceedings of the Vote Of Confidence conducted on February 18, 2017,” the petition, signed by Stalin, said.