A floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday was conducted, as chief minister EK Palaniswami’s wafer-thin majority has thrown the exercise wide open. With minutes to go for the trust vote, former CM O Panneerselvam made a last-ditch attempt to woo legislators to his side.
The request of OPS for a secret ballot was turned down by the speaker. The MLAs were in 6 segments and the head count was done.230 MLAs were present in the Assembly for head count.
Former state police chief and MLA R Nataraj switched sides to Panneerselvam’s camp on Friday, dealing a blow to the newly appointed CM. Just before the trust vote, AIADMK MLA Arun Kumar escaped from the Golden Bay Resort and will reportedly abstain from voting in the floor test. Legislators believed to be loyal to jailed party chief Sasikala and her proxy, Palaniswami, have been camping in the seaside resort for some days.
11.25am: All doors shut in Tamil Nadu assembly premises
11.24am: Speaker Dhanpal calls for order. Division vote begins amid continued uproar
11.20am: Speaker rejects suggestion that voting should be conducted via secret ballot. Uproar in Assembly continues
11.16am: Speaker Dhanapal guarantees protection for AIADMK MLAs inside the Assembly
11.15am: Confidence motion moved by Palaniswami accepted by Speaker. Now to decide whether it will be an open or secret ballot
11.12am: AIADMK MLAs (Palaniswami supporters ) raise slogans against the DMK in assembly
11.11am: MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners, says DMK working president MK Stalin
11.10am: DMK wants Panneerselvam faction leader to speak in the House.
11.08am: Palaniswami moves trust vote, ruckus breaks out, say reports.
11.02am: Panneerselvam allotted third row in the House, say reports.
10.56am: Tamil Nadu governor has forwarded O Panneerselvam’s request for a secret ballot to the Speaker for consideration
10.55am: E Madhusudhanan, removed as AIADMK presidium chairman, submits formal nomination of Semmalai as party whip to floor Speaker
10.54am: O Panneerselvam arrives at Tamil Nadu assembly with two other MLAs
