Chennai, Nov 25 (IANS): The next session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly will begin on December 9.

In a statement issued on Monday, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretary K. Srinivasan announced that the Speaker of the Assembly, M. Appavu, has scheduled the session to begin at 9:30 a.m. on December 9. The session will be held at the Assembly Hall in Durbar Hall.

Sources within the principal opposition party, AIADMK, informed IANS that the opposition plans to raise concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The DMK government is also expected to face criticism over the encounter killings of history-sheeters and criminals.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who also holds the Home Department portfolio, will be under pressure to address questions about the rise in murders in Tamil Nadu. Among these is the high-profile case of the brutal murder of BSP state president K. Armstrong on July 5.

Armstrong was killed by bike-borne assailants, and the police have since arrested 28 individuals in connection with the case. The first accused, Nagendran, has been in Puzhal Central Prison for the past 26 years, while the second accused, Sambav Senthil, remains absconding.

The Chief Minister is also expected to face questions about the government’s handling of recent heavy rains, floods, and the resulting destruction of Samba paddy crops, which has adversely affected farmers in the state.

This session will be the first after Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

There are also reports suggesting that the AIADMK is attempting to court Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a powerful Dalit political party currently allied with the DMK. The VCK, which has four MLAs in the Assembly, could become a source of tension during the session if these overtures lead to political manoeuvring.