In 1996, immediately after the AIADMK got a drubbing in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and its General Secretary, Ms J. Jayalalithaa lost both the constituencies she contested, I had asked her, in a long and wide-ranging interview, if she expected the DMK chief, Mr M. Karunanidhi, to be vindictive. “Yes, I do. A leopard does not change its spots,” she had said, with a smile.

Smiles, though, were rare in that interview and Ms Jayalalithaa, obviously in a sour mood, had lashed out at many people, particularly the media, for hounding her, launching personal attacks and writing only “negative” stories about her five-year rule (1991-1996). As she had predicted, a plethora of corruption cases was filed against her; she was arrested and, worse, her personal belongings such as jewellery, clothes and accessories were bandied about ad nauseam across TV channels. Across the political fence, the DMK's argument was: What about the midnight arrest of Mr Karunanidhi during her regime in 2001?

As had been mentioned in this column in the last two months, the pendulum has swung back to the AIADMK, but the sweep has stunned everybody. In these elections, the solid thrashing of the opponents by both Ms Jayalalithaa and Ms Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal has caught the attention of the entire nation. But when the celebrations abate and it is time for governance, the two new Chief Ministers will have to prove their mettle. There is a striking difference in the personalities of the two prima donnas; the convent-educated Ms Jayalalithaa is suave and articulate, has a touch of class and is used to living the good life — as far back as 1992, water and lime juice at her Poes Garden residence were served in expensive, crystal glasses — and speaks flawless English. A mention of the last in a mid-1990s article of mine had triggered a cartoon in the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli, where Mr Karunanidhi expressed regret that he could not speak good English as he had never been to a convent school!

And she is a voracious reader too. Articulate, intelligent, well-informed and sharp, her administrative skills have been tested in the past — both during 1991-1996, and 2001-2006, and not found wanting. A satisfactory functioning of the law and order machinery has been the highlight of her reign.

Essential difference

Ms Mamata, on the other hand, is like a rough, uncut diamond. Born in a lower middle-class family, she lost her father as a teenager and took on the responsibility, along with elder brother, Ajit, of taking care of the family. Unlike women politicians such as Ms Sonia Gandhi, Ms Jayalalithaa or Ms Mayawati, she had no male political mentors and her political career has been a roller-coaster ride. With an austere lifestyle, white cotton saris, unpretentious footwear, no cosmetics, no jewellery and a cotton jhola slung across the shoulder, she is the exact opposite of Tamil Nadu's Jaya. And unlike Ms Jayalalithaa, who has had to spend a chunk of her political career fighting corruption cases, Mamata has a clean image. Here is a recent comment by eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi: “No one can question her struggles or the transparent honesty with which she has fought her battles. But more than a politician, I admire and accept her as someone who feels for the people and works for their well-being.”

But her administrative abilities remain untested and that will be her biggest test. Integrity and clean image, and the ability to feel people's pain and suffering are big positives, but without astute administrative skills, any political leader can be taken for a big ride by bureaucrats and her own party colleagues.

Women politicians

Both women have been voted to power with huge mandates and this is the scariest part of this election. Winning big can, and often does, go straight to the head. We have seen enough tantrums from both in the past; except for Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, all other prominent women politicians, be it Ms Mayawati, Ms Jayalalithaa, Ms Mamata or Ms Uma Bharati, have proved to be highly temperamental, impetuous and autocratic in their dealings.

Every victory is an opportunity; a landslide victory is an even bigger opportunity because people tend to give you a substantial honeymoon period. Ms Jayalalithaa experienced this in 1991, when she stormed to power in an alliance with the Congress in the aftermath of Rajiv Gandhi's killing. She began with good governance, justifying people's faith in her, but along the way frittered away all goodwill, ending her reign with the disastrous and gaudy celebration of the foster son's wedding in 1996. Her 2001-2006 reign was more sober but fell prey to the anti-incumbency factor in 2006.

Massive expectations

This time around, the leopard will have to change its spots if the massive expectations of the people have to be met on so many fronts. Corruption and good governance are, of course, two important counts. But an even more important task today for any chief minister is the formation of an enabling, empowering environment in which the poor, oppressed and marginalised sections of society get the long-overdue opportunity to improve their lives through better nutrition, education and healthcare.

If the dirty paws of politicians and babus can be kept out of the system and the Indian taxpayers generate enough money to build solid institutions, programmes and partnerships can be developed to guarantee the less privileged a life of dignity and reasonable means.

It is the wrath of the wronged and the deprived, rather than support of the chattering classes, that has given this huge mandate to the two women. One hopes this thought was uppermost in Amma's mind as she was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Monday. She looked sober enough; as of now, there is no gloating over her stupendous comeback.

The coming days will call for a judicious mix of introspection, tough decisions, putting the right people at the helm of ministries and departments and, above all, the heart and the mind to feel the pain and desperation of the masses who have spoken out so loudly against the tainted DMK regime. If she, Ms Mamata, or any other leader gets this right, they would have cracked the anti-incumbency scourge of elections.

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