Meeting of AIADMK MLAs postponed

A meeting of ruling AIADMK MLAs in Tamil Nadu which was expected to discuss key issues in the wake of the "grave" health situation of party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, could not be held as planned and has since been postponed, party sources said tonight.

The meeting was scheduled to be held at 6 PM today to chalk out various strategies in the wake of the deteriorating health of Jayalalithaa, but no deliberations took place despite the MLAs assembling at the AIADMK headquarters here. The sources could not state exactly when the meeting would take place again, but only reiterated that "it has been postponed."

"It could be later in the night or even tomorrow... all we can confirm is that the meeting has been postponed," they added. Earlier in the day also the MLAs had met at Apollo Hospital, where Jayalalithaa is undergoing treatment and reportedly discussed the leadership issue, among other matters.

According to doctors, the condition of Jayalalithaa, who suffered cardiac arrest on Sunday, is very "grave". AIADMK has a total of 136 MLAs in the the 234-member House, including Jayalalithaa.