AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala met Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday evening and staked claim to form the government after O Panneerselvam, the caretaker Chief Minister who has revolted against her, also held talks at Raj Bhavan. There were indications though that there could be cross-voting in the assembly during the floor test.

Returning home from Raj Bhavan, Panneerselvam told reporters that “good things will happen” but did not elaborate. “We had a detailed discussion with governor Vidyasagar Rao about all that is happening in Tamil Nadu… For sure, good thing will happen, dharma will win,” he said.

He said he called on Rao along with senior leaders of his camp including AIADMK presidium chairman E Madusudanan. He said they have the “blessings” of the late J Jayalalithaa. He quoted a popular verse of poet Subramanya Bharathi to underline “though dharma can be eclipsed by intrigue, it will be dharma which will triumph ultimately”.

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Panneerselvam has repeatedly said he will be able to prove his strength on the floor of the House but has not disclosed how many of the MLAs back him — in a House of 234 (excluding the seat that has fallen vacant after the death of Jayalalithaa), the current strength of the AIADMK is 135.

Before heading to Raj Bhavan with at least ten ministers, Sasikala, who was elected leader of the AIADMK legislature party last Sunday, visited the Jayalalithaa memorial on Marina Beach. She placed a list of 130 MLAs at the memorial to demonstrate her strength.

Party sources said even if Sasikala is allowed to form the government, reports from across the state suggest that more AIADMK leaders might join the Panneerselvam faction, possibly before the date she is asked to take a floor test.

If a situation arises in which either faction fails to garner the support of 117 MLAs, there is a possibility that the DMK may step in to bail out Panneerselvam. “If Stalin goes for cross-voting in the assembly to help Panneerselvam win the battle for now, the DMK buys time. It can always withdraw support later,” a senior AIADMK leader conceded.

The DMK has 89 MLAs and Congress 8. If Panneerselvam gets the support of 20 AIADMK MLAs, it will be enough for DMK to back Panneerselvam, the leader said.

Sources in Tamil Nadu Congress said the Sasikala camp has already reached out to its chief S Thirunavukkarasu, seeking support of Congress MLAs who are currently in the DMK alliance. Thirunavukkarasu, a former AIADMK leader and an old friend of Sasikala’s husband M Natarajan, is said to be keen on his MLAs backing Sasikala in the assembly.