Tamil Nadu power tussle: Madras High Court to hear DMK plea challenging EK Palaniswami's trust vote

Chennai: The Madras High Court will on Tuesday hear a petition moved by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) demanding that Chief Minister EK Palaniswami`s trust vote in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly be declared null and void.

MK Stalin-led DMK had earlier announced that his party would launch a state-wide hunger strike to protest against the "illegal" trust vote.

AIADMK`s Palaniswami won a dramatic floor test two days ago, with the speaker throwing out opposition DMK members for violence and Congress legislators walking out of the House.

Separately, Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao has sought a detailed report on the happenings in the state Assembly on the day of trust vote on Saturday.

The development comes in the backdrop of the ruckus in the House before the voting on the confidence motion moved by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy in which opposition DMK MLAs were evicted en masse and the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League members staged a walk out.

Earlier, a team of DMK leaders led by Rajya Sabha member Trichy Siva met Governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking to nullify the trust vote saying it was held in contravention of House rules.

Former chief minister and leader of the rival faction in the AIADMK O Panneerselvam also met the Governor and sought rejection of the trust vote. 

In the confidence motion held on Saturday, the Edappadi Palaniswamy cabinet won by 122 votes in favour and 11 against.

Palaniswamy is considered a loyalist of VK Sasikala, a former aide of J Jayalalithaa. Sasikala is now serving a four year jail term in the Bengaluru prison after her conviction in a disproportionate assets case.