Chief Minister Sasikala? Not Yet, For Reasons Including Governor's Time

Chennai: Barely a day after the suspense over whether VK Sasikala will be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu got settled, a fresh one started over when her oath ceremony will be held. Sources told NDTV that Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has taken a legal opinion on Ms Sasikala taking over as Chief Minister in view of the disproportionate assets case against her, which is pending in Supreme Court. Sources said the BJP is also unhappy with the developments in Tamil Nadu and is not in favour of Ms Sasikala's elevation. While preparations are on in the state, sources in the state government said the Governor will be unable to find time for the ceremony before Wednesday.

The Governor, who will have to administer the oath to Ms Sasikala, has returned to Mumbai from Delhi. Mr Rao, who attended a wedding in the family of union minister Prakash Javadekar, had taken the opportunity to consult Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has been petitioned to forbid Ms Sasikala taking office till it decides on whether the 61-year-old is guilty of conspiring with J Jayalalithaa to accumulate vast amounts of wealth far exceeding their known sources of income in the early 90s. The top court said earlier on Monday that it would make that decision next week. A Public Interest Litigation or PIL filed on Monday evening said till the verdict is delivered, Ms Sasikala's promotion should be put on hold.

Ms Jayalalithaa, popularly referred to as "Amma", died while she was head of the Tamil Nadu government in December. On Sunday, her party, the AIADMK, decided that her closest aide, Ms Sasikala, will take over as Chief Minister. In doing so, she will replace O Panneerselvam, who has recurringly filled in for chief minister while the party made long-term arrangements for its political leadership.

The corruption case against Ms Sasikala is among a cluster of problems that she confronts in the transfer to power including an open challenge from Deepa Jayakumar, Ms Jayalalithaa's niece, who says she should be considered the true inheritor of Ms Jayalalithaa's political legacy.

But during her life, it was Ms Sasikala who was the closest aide of Ms Jayalalithaa, accompanying the powerful politician in the home they shared in Poes Garden, at business meetings, and on holidays to a tea estate in the mountain range of the Nilgiris. When Ms Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in September, complaining of dehydration, it was Ms Sasikala who took crucial decisions with doctors on the course of her treatment. And when she died, Ms Sasikala stood next to her body at a large public memorial, accepting condolences from VVIPs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was seen patting her head.

In 2014, Ms Jayalalithaa and Ms Sasikala were arrested and imprisoned in a jail in Bengaluru. The then Chief Minister was accused of misusing an earlier term to illicitly accrue expensive real estate, cash, gold, valuable jewelry and other assets. Ms Sasikala was accused of aiding the corruption.

But the charges did not stick, and after their acquittal, Ms Jayalalithaa returned to office, with Mr Panneerselvam's stint as place-holder ending. The Karnataka government then challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court, where judges, on Monday, were nudged about the delay in the case. In response, they said a decision will be shared next week.

Lakhs of supporters, whose devotion to Ms Jayalalithaa bordered on religious, stood in the streets as her hearse travelled in December to Chennai's Marina Beach where she was buried next to MG Ramachandran, the actor-turned-politician who founded their party. With Ms Sasikala's close supervision, Mr Panneerselvam, who carried Ms Jayalalithaa's photo in his pocket every day, took over as Chief Minister within hours. Then, the party chose to appoint Ms Sasikala its General Secretary - a post that had been held by Ms Jayalalithaa for nearly two decades. On Sunday, it unanimously agreed that Ms Sasikala, who has never served as party official or run for election, will take over as Chief Minister.