Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and several other senior ministers on Thursday met Sasikala, late AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa’s close aide, at her house in Poes Garden on Thursday.
According to a report in NDTV, AIADMK has to find a replacement for Jayalalithaa as party chief and senior leaders do not deny that Sasikala could be a front-runner.
Sasikala performed the last rites of Jayalalithaa on Tuesday, and it has been reported that she manoeuvred the AIADMK top brass on Monday, holding several key meetings to consolidate her position in the party. Eventually, O Paneerselvam, considered close to Sasikala, was sworn in as the new Tamil Nadu CM on Tuesday morning.
"Sasikala is the backbone of Poes Garden," AIADMK spokesperson DV Maitreyan told NDTV, signalling that she has the party's backing. However, he denied that she had moved the levers of power in her favour on Monday even as Jayalalithaa lay dying.
Panneerselvam, who belongs to the same community as Sasikala Natarajan, had stood in as chief minister for Jayalalithaa twice before. However, critics now allege that he will be remote-controlled by Sasikala.
The AIADMK top brass also has to decide whether to call a meeting of the general council of the party for the election of a new chief, said the report. This was never done during Jayalalithaa’s time at the helm because of the enormous power and control she wielded.
