AIADMK working on succession plan? Jayalalithaa's trusted man O Panneerselvam may be top choice

An emergency meeting of AIADMK party members, according to Times Now, is on to discuss a possible successor. According to the channel, the party may back O Panneerselvam, who has been chief Jayalalithaa's trusted lieutenant.

The party, Times Now reports, may submit a petition to the Tamil Nadu Governor. This could be a move to keep the party, the channel adds, intact.

Track this space for live updates of Jayalalithaa's health condition

Once a tea stall owner, Panneerselvam, 63, held two key portfolios of Finance and Public Works in the Jayalalithaa ministry.

Panneerselvam is the first man from the Thevar community to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Representing Bodinayakanur Assembly constituency in Theni District in the current assembly, Pannerselvam has risen from humble origins. His family still owns a tea stall he once ran.

He was also an agriculturist and began his political career when he was elected to Periyakulam Municipality. He went on to become its Chairman during 1996-2001.