The ruling faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday claimed majority after 111 MLAs attended a legislators’ meet convened by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai, PTI reported. The meeting on Tuesday saw more MLAs than the one held on August 28 when only 75 MLAs had participated.

Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said a unanimous resolution was adopted at the meeting reposing faith in Palaniswami’s chief ministership. Jayakumar also claimed that they had the support of three MLAs from the alliances of the AIADMK.

“Nine MLAs from the other group [the TTV Dinakaran camp] were contacted on phone and they had extended support, so we are in majority,” Jayakumar said, according to ANI. However, the Dinakaran camp refuted Jayakumar’s claim and said the 19 MLAs continued to support the ousted AIADMK leader.

The meeting comes ahead of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s general council meeting scheduled for September 12. Thanga Tamil Selvan of the Dinakaran camp dismissed the general council meeting claiming that only Dinakaran has the powers to call such a meeting. “Everything they do and all the decisions they take are illegal and thereby unacceptable,” he told the Hindustan Times.

On August 10, Dinakaran had been removed from the post of AIADMK’s deputy general secretary ahead of Palaniswami faction’s merger with O Panneerselvam’s camp. Dinakaran, along with 19 party legislators, had met Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao on August 22, claiming the support of at least 22 MLAs. Dinakaran had also demanded that Palaniswami be removed from the post of chief minister.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham Working President and leader of the Opposition MK Stalin has twice demanded a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. On August 27, Dinakaran had removed Palaniswami from the party’s Salem district secretary post.