Immediately after returning to power, the DMK regime had appointed senior advocate Shanmugasundaram as Advocate General and shortly thereafter Hasan Muhammed Jinnah as the State Public Prosecutor.

The appointment of additional advocate generals was delayed allegedly due to requests from a few allies, which allowed AIADMK appointees to continue in the office even over months after regime change. It was reliably learnt that several allies had sought a share of the pie. The DMK leadership was understood to have revealed its discomfiture on the issue during a meeting of the district secretaries organised to discuss the ensuing rural local body elections early this month. Meanwhile, a tentative list of additional advocate generals is doing the rounds in DMK circles in the last few days. Curiously, the list has no members from alliance parties. DMK source privy to the development said, “Indeed, additional advocate general and government pleaders’ appointments are due. The due process has started. I believe the government will soon make fresh appointments.”

The ruling DMK has also planned to compensate allies, who were disappointed with frugal seat allocation during the Assembly polls, by reviving Legislative Council and giving a few welfare board posts.