CHENNAI: O Panneerselvam, who resigned as Tamil Nadu chief minister on Sunday to make way for AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, headed to the Jayalalithaa memorial at Chennai's Marina beach on Tuesday night and sat alone with eyes closed in meditation for a short while.
At a meeting of party legislators on Sunday, Mr Panneerselvam had proposed Ms Sasikala's name to lead them, confirming his status for a third time as a temporary chief minister. He played that role twice when J Jayalalithaa had to step down as chief minister over corruption charges, never using her room or chair.
Mr Panneerselvam was sworn in as chief minister again hours after Ms Jayalalithaa died at a Chennai hospital on December 5. Mid-way through her 75 days in hospital, the state governor had asked Mr Panneerselvam, as the most senior minister to take charge of the eight ministries Ms Jayalalithaa handled personally and hold cabinet meetings.
The AIADMK has said that Ms Sasikala is likely to be sworn in as chief minister on Thursday.