Almost all party MLAs from Madurai, Virudhunagar support Sasikala

Manickam is the lone MLA to back Pannerselvam

K. Manickam, representing the Sholavandan (Reserved) Assembly constituency, is the only MLA among the eight of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Madurai district to pledge support to Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam.

Mr. Manickam, along with former MLA (Tirumangalam) and former rural district secretary, M. Muthuramalingam, was with Mr. Pannerselvam at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chennai on Wednesday.

Mr. Muthuramalingam said that those who had real affection for late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa were supporting Mr. Pannerselvam, who had promised to protect the party and continue the good work of Jayalalithaa. “The other group is bent upon ruining the AIADMK,” he added.

However, six other party MLAs from the district, including Ministers K. Raju, and R.B. Udhayakumar, and rural district secretary and Madurai North MLA V.V. Rajan Chellappa, are in Sasikala camp.

“Our stand is that only if both the posts of general secretary and Chief Minister are held by the same person, the party can be protected and can serve the people in a better way,” Mr. Chellappa said.

Minister for Dairy Development K. T. Rajenthra Bhalaji, Virudhunagar district secretary, also backed general secretary Sasikala. Mr. Bhalaji said that all the three AIADMK MLAs of the district were in Sasikala camp. “Even the Virudhunagar MP, T. Radhakrishnan, is in our our camp,” he added.