Less than two weeks after J Jayalalithaa died, her party has announced that her closest aide, Sasikala Natarajan, will replace her as the chief of her party, the AIADMK. Ms Natarajan, 54, holds no post in the party. Rules will be amended if needed to place her in control, said AIADMK spokesperson C Ponnaiyan today. "It is the desire of the entire party," he said, adding, "Sasikala has functioned as the conscience of Amma."
Amma or mother is how lakhs of supporters, whose devotion bordered on religious, referred to Ms Jayalalithaa, who was Chief Minister when she died on December 5 after a massive cardiac arrest. Ms Natarajan, who lived with her at her huge bungalow in Chennai's Poes Garden, is called Chinamma (mother's younger sister). Ms Jayalalithaa never married.
Despite holding no party position, Ms Natarajan's influence over Ms Jayalalitha, who was 68 when she died, was well known. She had a considerable say in appointments and in the selection of candidates.
About four years ago, the women were estranged after Ms Jayalalithaa became convinced that Ms Natarajan was conniving with her husband and other relatives to undermine her authority. As part of the reconciliation, Ms Natarajan agreed that she would no longer be associated with her relatives.
At the nationally-televised funeral, it was Mrs Natarajan, who first met Ms Jayalalithaa in the 80s, who performed the last rites. In the days after, Chief Minister Panneerselvam and others in his cabinet made regular visits to her, furthering the theory that she would soon be made General Secretary, a position held by Ms Jayalalithaa for nearly 30 years. Other giveaways of the party's plans included the appearance of posters showing Mrs Natarajan alongside Ms Jayalalithaa, but commanding more real estate.
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