Chennai: From being a backstage confidante of late J Jayalalithaa for more than three decades, V K Sasikala has now stepped forward to claim the mantle of Chief Minister left behind by her ‘elder sister’ when she passed away two months ago, on December 5.
Just as her election as AIADMK general secretary was a smooth affair on December 29, the applause from the party legislators gathered for the ‘historic’ crowing of Chinnamma as CM was unanimous. The clamour shook the ceiling of the party headquarters and incumbent CM, O. Panneerselvam himself proposed her name as his worthy successor thereby shutting down any whisper that there could be some reservations among the party seniors and MLAs about the transition of power that happened at lightning speed since their Amma’s tragic demise.
All but one of the total 133 MLAs of the AIADMK — not taking into account Speaker P. Dhanapal and the late Jayalalithaa — attended the session at the party headquarters on the Avvai Shanmugam Salai. The lone absentee B. Arumugam of Kandarvakottai (Pudukottai) could not make it as he was hospitalised at RGGH in Chennai, but his concurrence was already obtained. “Chinnamma is our soul and our breath. We support her totally. Our district minister (C. Vijayabaskar) will shortly take my signature on the MLAs letter of support”, Arumugam told DC over phone from his hospital bed.
Having thus demonstrated total control of the party and the MLAs, Sasikala now faces the crucial test of proving public acceptance by contesting a by-election to get elected to the Assembly within six months.
It is expected she will contest the R.K. Nagar seat that fell vacant following Jayalalithaa’s demise. Winning a by-election has been seldom difficult for a ruling party in Tamil Nadu.
The true test of Sasikala’s leadership and public acceptance would be the local body elections expected in a couple of months, when the main opposition DMK is certain to make her appointment as CM its main poll campaign issue. DMK working president M. K. Stalin has given enough hint of that in his first response to Sasikala becoming CM.
AIADMK comes out with new poster of Sasi
Shortly after the AIADMK legislature party elected its general secretary VK Sasikala as the new leader of the legislature party, about a month after she became the party supremo, the ruling party's official Twitter handle on Sunday released a new poster featuring both the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and Ms. Sasikala.
The poster says that Ms. Sasikala has now been appointed as the leader of the AIADMK. Another tweet quoting her said that the Tamil Nadu government will follow the principles of Amma.
