Sasikala stakes claim to form government even as Panneerselvam launches full scale war against her.

Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday gave a chance to both AIADMK general VK Sasikala and Chief Minister O Panneerselvam but kept Tamil Nadu guessing as to which way the government formation would go.

While Sasikala and her team of ministers called on the governor and staked claim to form the government and submitted a list of MLAs supporting Sasikala, Panneerselvam is understood to have requested that he be allowed to withdraw the resignation as he had done so under duress. He also is said to have submitted a written situation report as to how MLAs were locked up by Sasikala and how police and administration were refusing to take orders from a Chief Minister.

The governor is reported to have sent a report to the centre and the President, for information as also for guidance as also he is expected to consult legal and constitutional experts before firming up a decision as to what needed to be done.

Meanwhile, DMK working president MK Stalin too stepped up the ante and said that MLAs were being held hostage and that the governor ought to speak to each individual MLA separately and assess the relative  strength of both the sides before inviting either of them to form a government.

According to sources, Stalin is likely to call on the governor on Friday.

Sources indicated that governor could take time to study the issue in depth, consult with legal and constitutional experts and wait for the Supreme Court verdict on the disproportionate assets case. The verdict is expected by latest by Tuesday.

Fireworks had started early in the morning with OPS launching a full scale war with slew of decisions – freezing AIADMK accounts claiming that Sasikala had no right to sack him as her election as general secretary was invalid. Then he announced that he would turn Poes Gardens residence of Amma as a memorial and then charged Sasikala with locking up all the MLAs. He said he was confident that MLAs would come to his side if they were free, but said during the floor test your will see what happens.

But as of now, numbers are with Sasikala as most of the party MLAs are under “lock and key” at a luxury resort near Mahabalipuram.

Panneerselvam camp scored a moral victory of sorts when senior AIADMK leader and Chairman of party presidium E Madhusudanan came over to OPS. The senior AIADMK leader said that Tamil Nadu must be saved and AIADMK must be saved.

M Foi Pandiarajan, state minister, rubbished the charges of OPS and his supporters and asserted that “we have the numbers and we have elected Chinnamma as our leader. She will form the government.”

Panneerselvam said after his meeting with the governor that “there will be good news soon”.

While, Panneerselvam’s meeting was over in a little over 10 minutes, Sasikala and her team spent half an hour with the governor.

Neither OPS nor Sasikala were giving signs of elation after coming out of the meeting with the governor.