Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa celebrates her 66th birthday
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa celebrates her 66th birthday today.
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Her father died when Jayalalithaa was only two-years-old and the family faced financial problems. They moved later to Tamil Nadu where her mother Sandhya ventured into Tamil cinema as an actress. The family saw worse times when Jayalalithaa's older brother Jayakumar died. (Seen in this picture is Jayalalithaa's mother Sandhya)
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In Chennai, Jayalalithaa went to school at the Sacred Heart Matriculation School of Presentation Convent and excelled in academics. With the guidance of her mother and aunt, young Jayalalithaa soon forayed into films and began acting at the age of 15. Her principal at the convent is said to have had a deep impression on Jayalalithaa.
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Following MGR's death, Jayalalithaa took over the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagham (AIADMK), but was alienated by a faction of the party that chose to support MGR's wife Janaki Ramachandran. But due to the poor electoral performance of the Janaki Ramachandran-led faction, Jayalalitha later took over the leadership of the party.
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The DMK was the only dominant force in Tamil Nadu's politics at that time and Jayalalithaa ensured that she became a force to reckon with. Drawing on her massive popularity, in 1989, she won the elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly - becoming the first woman to be elected Leader of the Opposition.
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In 1991, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Tamil Nadu, her alliance with the Congress party propelled the coalition to a massive victory. She was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly and became the first elected woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu, serving the full tenure.
