Chennai, May 5 (UNI) DMK President and Chief Minister-designate
M K Stalin on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal
Purohit and staked his claim to for the next government.
Mr Stalin, accompanied by senior DMK leaders, including General
Secretary Duraimurugan, Parliamentary party leader T R Baalu and
Organising Secretary R S Bharathi, met the Governor at Raj Bhavan
and handed over the Legislature party resolution electing him as the
Leader.
He also submitted a letter containing the support of 133 MLAs,
including those of allies, who had contested the April six Assembly
polls, on the DMK's 'Rising Sun' symbol.
He also submitted the list of his Council of Ministers to Mr Purohit.
Mr Stalin, who led the DMK return to power for a sixth time after a
gap of ten years, was unanimously elected as the Legislature Party
Leader last evening at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs held
at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam.
Later, Mr Bharathi told reporters that an invitation from the Governor
asking Mr Stalin to form the next government is expected this evening.
Mr Stalin will be sworn in as the Chief Minister for the first time at a
simple function--in view of the COVID pandemic--to be held at Raj
Bhavan on May 7.
His Council of Ministers will also be sworn in along with him.
In the April six polls, the DMK, riding on the silent anti-incumbency
factor against the AIADMK regime, stormed back to power after a
gap of ten years.
The DMK-led Front won 159 of the total 234 seats in the polls. While
the DMK won 133 seats (including six by its allies who had contested
on DMK's Rising Sun symbol), the Congress and VCK won 18 and
four seats respectively. DMK's other allies CPI and CPI(M) bagged
two seats each.
The remaining 75 seats were bagged by the AIADMK-led Front. The
AIADMK won 66 seats, while its allies PMK and BJP won five and
four seats respectively.
This is the first Assembly election faced by the DMK and AIADMK in
the absence of two tall leaders--former DMK Chief M Karunanidhi
and J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK.
UNI GV 1141