Plot thickens further

Finally, the much-awaited judgement has come from the Apex Court in Jayalalithaa's Disproportionate Assets' Case dashing the hopes of Sasikala in becoming the Chief Minister and thus becoming a real claimant to Amma's political legacy.

However, the political uncertainty that is dogging Tamil Nadu for some months now has not gone away. If any, it is getting murkier. With too much of personal stakes dominating Sasikala's concerns, she has named her own loyalist, Palanisamy, as the leader of her Legislature Party only to sabotage the chances of Amma's choice, O Panneerselvam.

There is little to suggest who has the majority support despite the submission of the police to the Chennai High Court that majority of the law makers holed up in a resort in the outskirts of the city are in the camp of their own volition.

The rival group is claiming that Sasikala is holding the law makers hostage and once free they would vote for Panneerselvam. This was unforeseen for the Governor perhaps who was under the impression that once the verdict was delivered, the political skies would be cleared of the uncertainty.

This has given rise to another legal issue now and also room for some ugly horse trading. The reason for the same is the fact that the Governor may now be forced to call for a composite floor test which means that all 234 legislators in Tamil Nadu would be asked to vote for either of the candidates, Panneerselvam or Palanisamy. The scenario could be a loaded one.

What was supposed to be a two-way contest has the potential to develop into an optical illusion. The visually perceived images of the last week may differ from objective reality. The information disseminated so far and the equations perceived and conclusions drawn could go for a toss with the third dimension – that of the legislators from the Opposition joining the vote in the Assembly to select between the two, if the Composite Vote is called for.

Despite what Stalin has stated about his party's neutral status in the ongoing dispute, one cannot resist the temptation of fishing in the troubled waters. The irony of Tamil Nadu politics today is that there is no confiteor to pronounce mea culpa.

There is neither any ownership nor any one seems to be answerable. Constitutional propriety has already taken a beating. All that is on display is rank opportunism and name dropping with both the groups claiming Jayalalithaa's inheritance. People are left to fend for themselves with cognitive illusions.

The only certainty seems to be that of the ruling party breaking up in the tussle between Chinnamma and Panneerselvam who claims that he is being guided by Amma's spirit. The dilemma faced by the lawmakers of the ruling party is not one of choosing either Amma's nominee or Chinnamma's choice.

It is also about who gets to control the vast business and real estate empire that is inherent to the position, perhaps. The situation has been rendered not just complex with an emergent behavior, but also complicated with extrinsic factors playing their role.