Tamil Nadu's next Chief Minister to be decided on Sunday
J Jayalalithaa
The News Minute | September 27, 2014 | 10.37 pm IST
A legislature party meeting of the AIADMK will be held on Sunday in Chennai to decide on the next Chief Minster of Tamil Nadu after Saturday’s conviction of TN CM J Jayalalithaa in the Rs. 66 crore disproportionate assets case.
O. Panneerselvam is the most probable name in the list of possible contenders for the next CM post.
He is the man Jayalalithaa relied the last time she went to jail 10 years ago. Fondly called OPS, he was as surprised at the appointment as anybody else. A staunch loyalist of J. Jayalalithaa, the then revenue minister Panneerselvam was made the chief minister in September 2001 when Jayalalithaa’s appointment as the chief minister was quashed by the Supreme Court. That Jayalalithaa chose him to succeed her was a shock to many of the cabinet ministers. However, he was widely criticized for running a puppet government managed from the back by Jayalalithaa.
O Paneerselvam
Other names on the list are Visalakshi Nedunchezhiyan
Visalakshi Nedunchezhiyan
Courtesy New Indian Express
Ninety year old Visalakshi Nedunchezhiyan, wife of late former Minister Nedunchezhian joined the AIADMK in the year 2000. She was also awarded Thanthai Periyar award by the State government on January 16,2012. She is the current organizing secretary of the AIADMK.
Sheela Balakrishnan
An IAS officer of the 1976 batch, Balakrishnan was a former chief secretary of Tamil Nadu. She is also a possible candidate for the post of TN CM. A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, she had joined CM’s office in 2002 as Secretary during Jayalalithaa's tenure . When Jayalalithaa returned to power in 2011, she was made Additional Chief Secretary (Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme).
A. Navaneethakrishnan
Picture courtesy The Hindu
He was the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission after Jayalalithaa announced his name as the part candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-poll. He was the advocate-general between 2011 and 2013, after which he served as TNPSC chairman.
Rabi Bernad (Facebook )
Rabi Bernard
Courtesy Facebook page
A W Rabi Bernard is an AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu. Originally a journalist, he became famous for his TV show Nerukku Neru. A Jayalalithaa loyalist, he soon went on to join Jaya TV.
R Vishwanathan
Vishwanathan
He is a three-time MLA from Natham constituencty in Tamil Nadu and is currently minister for electricity, prohibition and excise.