The entire AIADMK senior leadership has unequivocally urged Sasikala, a confidante of Late J Jayalalithaa, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and party general secretary, to take over as the head of the party.

A delegation of senior members, led by the party Presidium Chairman E Madhusudhanan called on Sasikala at Poes Garden to urge her to take control of the party. Sasikala, a constant companion and confidante of Jayalalithaa for over three decades, is seen as the ideal choice to lead the party which is now in power in the State.

K Pandiarajan, Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education, told Business Line “there is complete concurrence among the ministers” on the need for Sasikala to take over the reins. She has spent so many years with ‘Amma’ (Jayalalithaa) and “in a way Amma has passed on the mantle”. The party “needs a leader who is in the grip of things,” he said. K Swaminathan, former secretary of the IT Wing, said it is ‘inevitable’ that she steps in. The idea was in everybody’s mind and was expressed today after they got over the initial shock of the demise of the leader earlier this week, he said.

Now it is up to Sasikala to accept the role that is being offered to her. This will be formally announced when the general council of the party meets later this month. Within a couple of hours of the announcement of Jayalalithaa’s death on Monday, Finance Minister O Panneerselvam was sworn in as the chief minister. However, there has been widespread speculation on who would take over as the general secretary. There were also rumours of rumblings within the party with senior leaders demanding greater recognition.

C Ponnaiyan, a founding member of AIADMK, today told media persons that all are united in the party and there is no competition for the post of general secretary. The die certainly appears to have been cast. The party leader in the AIADMK is never referred by name but only by a honorific. The founder of the party, M G Ramachandran was ‘puratchi thalaivar’ (revolutionary leader) to the party; Jayalalithaa, his protégé, was fondly ‘Amma’ (mother). Today, Sasikala is ‘Chinnama’ (younger mother) for senior party leaders, ministers and spokespersons.

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