After waiting for days and nurturing hopes, supporters of P Raveendranath Kumar, AIADMK's lone Lok Sabha MP and son of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, are a dejected lot since he did not find a place in the Cabinet.
Also, reported differences between Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Panneerselvam on choosing a nominee for the Council of Ministers was said to have shut the window of opportunity for the AIADMK.
That the expectation was quite strong could be seen from wall posters put up in Theni district that hailed Kumar as a "Central Minister" before he was officially named and well ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
Supporters were also preparing to accord a grand reception for Kumar in Theni.
"We had even bought firecrackers and ordered sweets and planned a big reception," his supporters in Theni said, adding "time will ripen soon."
Asked about the reported disagreement between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, a former state minister and a senior AIADMK leader, told PTI "these are all perceptions built by the media."