There was no happy note as AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam and his party colleagues took oath as Tamil Nadu's new chief minister and ministers here Monday.
Panneerselvam, a staunch loyalist of the now jailed former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, choked and looked crestfallen as he read the oath of office and secrecy. He wiped away his tears.
Some legislators broke down. They included R. Vaithilingam, B. Valarmathi and P. Thangamani.
The atmosphere at the oath taking ceremony was sombre. There were no celebratory noises at the event that came two days after Jayalalithaa was sent to jail for four years and fined Rs.100 crore for corruption.