AIADMK MLA passes away, Tamil Nadu government majority at stake

Tamil Nadu’s ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislator AK Bose, 69, died of heart attack at a hospital in Madurai Thursday. The three-time MLA had been unwell for about two years.

The MLA’s passing away came as chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami-led government’s majority in the state assembly is at stake. The Madras high court is hearing a petition against the disqualification of 18 MLAs of a separate AIADMK faction. In case the court set asides the speaker’s decision, the government will be short of a simple majority in the 234-member state assembly.

AIADMK strength in the assembly has been reduced to 116 after Bose’s death. Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has 89 members. Other parties have 11. The 18 MLAs support rebel TTV Dhinakaran.

The state assembly’s strength was reduced to 233 after Jayalalithaa’s death. The speaker disqualified 18, reducing the House strength to 215 with the required majority now being 108.

Bose’s Thiruparankundram constituency will go to the by-election for the second time in two years. His predecessor, S M Seenivel, had died two days after he was elected in May 2016 and before he could take the oath.

“The current AIADMK government is surviving on a wafer thin margin and the death of a loyalist is certainly a setback,” said political analyst Tharasu Shyam. “Further, five MLAs (Karunas, Thamimun Ansari, U Thaniyarasu, Aranthangi Rathinasabapathy and A Prabhu) are often seen with rebel leader Dhinakaran, and there is a threat to the longevity of the government.”

Soft spoken Bose was one of the fence sitters when Jayalalithaa’s close confidantes, V K Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran, were expelled from the party. Bose later declared his loyalty for the Palaniswami government.

Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam expressed their condolences in a statement. They called him a loyal Jayalalithaa supporter. Bose started his political career in 1972. He was a member of AIADMK’s youth wing, and served as the party’s Madurai urban district secretary. He was elected MLA in 2006, 2011 and 2016. Bose is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

Separately, AIADMK rebel leader Dhinakaran said his faction was ready to ally with the Congress provided it walks out of arch rival DMK alliance. Dhinakaran had earlier ruled out a tie-up with Bharatiya Janata Party.

First Published: Aug 03, 2018 00:24 IST