K Sasikala managed a near-perfect attendance for her show of strength this morning, establishing her grip on the ruling AIADMK, which has chosen her to be Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. 131 of the party's 134 legislators attended the conclave where she branded O Panneerselvam, the man she is meant to replace as Chief Minister, as a "liar" who has betrayed the party and its former leader, J Jayalalithaa, who died in December while she was Chief Minister. The legislators were later bused to a hotel to prevent them from being poached by other parties and to guard against the influence of Mr Panneerselvam, which currently appears miniscule. Last night, after visiting his mentor Jayalalithaa's beach-side memorial, Mr Panneerselvam announced that he was coerced and humiliated into resigning as Chief Minister on Sunday, and that he deserves the opportunity to take a trust vote in the legislature.
