Resigning for personal reasons: Panneerselvam's official stance

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today tendered his resignation from the post citing 'personal reasons' and setting the stage for the takeover of V K Sasikala, who was elected as Legislature Party leader in the day. 

"Due to my personal reasons, I am tendering my resignation from the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Kindly accept my resignation and relieve the Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu appointed by me on December 6, 2016," he said in a letter addressed to Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao.

His resignation came on a day when AIADMK MLAs elected party chief V K Sasikala as their leader, paving the way for her appointment as Chief Minister. 

Panneerselvam was appointed as Chief Minister on the night of December 5 within hours of the death of his predecessor J Jayalalithaa. Incidentally, he had proposed the name of Sasikala for the top post at the AIADMK MLAs meeting held in the party's headquarters in Chennai. 

Meanwhile, in a separate but near-identical letter, Panneerselvam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Rao for all the support and cooperation extended by them during his term. 

"I would like to convey my sincere gratitude for all the support and cooperation extended by you during my tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Panneerselvam had met Modi more than once with the final personal interaction between the two focusing on the Jallikattu issue that rocked the state last month. 

Sasikala, 62, shadow of Jayalalithaa for nearly three decades, is set to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as the AIADMK Legislature Party elected her as its leader, over a month after she became the party's powerful General Secretary. 

She is expected to be sworn-in as the third Chief Minister of the state within two months on Tuesday.

• sasikala
• Tamil Nadu