A day after the merger of the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy's (EPS) government faced a crisis yesterday, when 19 of his MLAs withdrew their support, leading to the government falling short of majority.

The MLAs resigned when EPS declared, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), as his new Deputy Chief Minister, and the convenor of the party.The 19 legislators, owing allegiance to former deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, met Governor Vidyasagar Rao and withdrew support to the Chief Minister.

The MLAs reportedly told Rao that EPS had "forfeited" their confidence of the public as well, urging him to "intervene and institute the constitutional process."

Later, Opposition leader and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin wrote to the Governor demanding an early floor test to prove the government's majority and prevent horse trading, while other Opposition leaders also endorsed the demand.

EPS, OPS and other senior ministers, meanwhile, held meetings at the Secretariat on the threat to the government.

In identical letters submitted to Governor Rao at the Raj Bhavan, the resigned MLAs claimed they were "disillusioned with the functioning of the government headed by Palaniswami, as there has been abuse of power, favouritism, misuse of government machinery, widespread corruption".

On the other hand, Stalin has claimed that "twenty two MLAs" have resigned.

Stalin wrote a letter to the Governor and said that any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the case will pave the way for continuance of an "unconstitutional" government and will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House.