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Jayalalithaa’s confidant VK <keyword id="6358664" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sasikala">Sasikala</keyword> has been unanimously elected as her successor and will take over as General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). 
 
Sasikala, a close friend and confidant of Jayalalithaa, was chosen to head the party. 
 
Reportedly, the General Council body of AIADMK passed the resolution to elect Sasikala Natarajan as the General Secretary almost unanimously. However there were few dissent notes as well. The post fell vacant following the demise of party general secretary and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5. 
 
The meeting was attended by over 2000 party workers, but Sasikala wasn’t present there. 
 
Yesterday, clashes broke out between AIADMK workers and supporters of Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa outside the ruling party's office in Chennai. 
 
Sasikala Pushpa had earlier expressed her wish to contest for the party's general secretary post. Sasikala was expelled from the AIADMK sometime back but did not resign from the Rajya Sabha.

Sasikala is the new general secretary of AIADMK

AIADMK supremo and former <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> chief minister J <keyword id="42104" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jayalalithaa">Jayalalithaa</keyword> scored a sensational legal victory on Monday, as the Karnataka high court acquitted her of all corruption charges in the 19 year old Rs 66.65-crore disproportionate assets case that had been hanging like an albatross around her neck for nearly two decades. 
 Justice C R Kumaraswamy overturned the September 27, 2014 verdict of a special court in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>. The judge also acquitted her associates - <keyword id="844490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sasikala-Natarajan">Sasikala Natarajan</keyword>, her niece Ilavarasi, her nephew and the chief minister's disowned foster son <keyword id="870504" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sudhakaran">Sudhakaran</keyword>. 
 <keyword id="2845578" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bengaluru-special-judge">Bengaluru special judge</keyword> John Michael Cunha had sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years in jail and fined Rs 100 crore on September 27, 2014. She was convicted in the disproportionate assets case that was launched by Subramanian Swamy on 20 August 1996. 
 
The special court had sentenced Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran to four years in jail and fined Rs 10 crores each. 
 
The judgement by the special court had disqualified her from the post of CM and legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu. 
 
Now, her acquittal by the Karnataka high court means she can assume the chief minister's post. ​Jayalalithaa is expected to address the press on Monday. 
 
AIADMK supporters started celebrations as soon as the high court pronounced it verdict. They celebrated sweets. 
 
A large number of her supporters assembled in front of Jayalalithaa's residence in Chennai, expecting she will greet them soon. 
 
The party workers, who have been praying for her acquittal in the case, broke coconuts as thanksgiving.

Amma goes scot-free! Karnataka HC acquits Jayalalithaa in disproportionate assets case

<ul><li><keyword id="6358664" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sasikala">Sasikala</keyword> has been an important part of <keyword id="6378684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu-politics">Tamil Nadu politics</keyword> for over three decades, functioning as the woman ‘next in power’ after the late <keyword id="42104" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jayalalithaa">Jayalalithaa</keyword>. </li><li>“I believe she would want to correct the perception that Jayalalithaa was the good person and Sasikala was the bad influence. She will want to set the record straight,” a senior journalist said.</li><li>Sasikala will be formally released from jail today after serving a four-year sentence for a corruption case. She, however, will continue to be treated in the hospital for COVID-19. </li></ul>VK Sasikala, once one of the most powerful women of Tamil Nadu and the closest confidante of former Chief Minister, the late J Jayalalithaa, will be formally released from jail today after serving a four-year sentence for amassing wealth through corruption. Neither her chequered past and the jail term, nor being infected by COVID-19 virus, would make her less of a player in Tamil Nadu politics. Hopes and fears are surging about the role that she could choose to play in the upcoming state assembly elections. <div type="image" title="sasikala" msid="80475129" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sasikala surrounded by supporters in a file photo.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The Sasikala factor is something all parties including her home party the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (<keyword id="41902" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIADMK">AIADMK</keyword>) ⁠— which she was ousted from after being jailed⁠— as well as rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by MK Stalin would be wary of. The incumbent Chief Minister, Edappadi Palanisamy, was Sasikala’s choice before the party distanced itself. He recently <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-cm-edappadi-k-palaniswami-rules-out-any-ties-with-sasikala/articleshow/80358126.cms">said</a> there’s no chance Sasikala will be reinstated into the AIADMK but as the cliche goes, there are no permanent friends or foes in politics. Sasikala isn’t just the woman in jail no. 9234. She has been an important part of Tamil Nadu politics for over three decades, functioning as the woman ‘next in power’ after Jayalalithaa. After the death of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief, Sasikala rose to power as calls for Chinamma (an epithet used to position her as the heir to Jayalalithaa, who was called Amma, meaning mother), as she was fondly called, to be the Chief Minister filled the air. Jayalalithaa was the first accused even in the disproportionate assets case, in which Sasikala was jailed. <div type="image" title="supporters" msid="80475198" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sasikala and Jayalalithaa supporters hold placards with photos of the two leaders&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “It may be too soon to comment on whether she will be included again in the party⁠— whether as a General Secretary or mentor or any other role⁠— but many AIADMK leaders have objected to criticising Sasikala in any form,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvzKEsu8rxA">explained</a> a senior journalist Rangaraj Pandey on his YouTube channel, Chanakya on Jan 16. “For Sasikala, the most important thing will be to erase the taint on her reputation. I believe she would want to correct the perception that Jayalalithaa was the good person and Sasikala was the bad influence. She will want to set the record straight.” If Sasikala does return to prominence in Tamil Nadu one more time, it won’t be a surprise. Here’s a look at how she lost and regained power one too many times. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="From running a video cassette business to being Tamil Nadu’s second most powerful woman" comment="subhead" text="From running a video cassette business to being Tamil Nadu’s second most powerful woman">From running a video cassette business to being Tamil Nadu’s second most powerful woman</cmsannotation> In the early 1980s, in Chennai’s Alwarpet tucked away was a tiny little shop “Vinod Video Centre”. That video rental business was run by Sasikala Natarajan. Her husband R Natarajan worked as a Public Relations officer in Tamil Nadu government. It is through him⁠— and a senior civil servant <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/frenemies-forever-tracing-25-year-history-between-jayalalithaa-and-subramanian-swamy-51260">VS Chandralekha</a>, who continues to play a key role in Tamil Nadu politics even now as an advisor to senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy ⁠— that Sasikala first met Jayalalithaa, a superstar at the time being groomed by the then leader of AIADMK and Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran. MGR’s death in 1987 put the spotlight on Jayalalithaa, who after being manhandled by MGR’s supporters and his wife, swept the assembly elections in 1991 and began her tenure as the state’s Chief Minister, a position she went on to win six times. Standing beside her, for most that period, were Sasikala and Natarajan, both of whom moved into Poes Garden with her. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The rise of the Mannargudi Mafia" comment="subhead" text="The rise of the Mannargudi Mafia">The rise of the Mannargudi Mafia</cmsannotation> Even when Jayalalithaa ousted Natarajan from the house in 1990, Sasikala stayed back. She then continued to walk one step behind Jayalalithaa, while her family became all that the CM had. <div type="image" title="jaya sasi" msid="80475214" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;File photo of Sasikala with Jayalalithaa&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Sasikala kept chipping away until people she chose or trusted went on to hold some of the most important posts in the Tamil Nadu government. Just like the fictional character Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Sasikala’s clout, often derisively described as the “Mannargudi Mafia”, is still omnipresent in the state. “Their men are everywhere from Jaya TV to Ministers’ offices, and have stooges in police and IAS, top to bottom. The system got weakened after the fall of Sasikala in 2012, but once she was back, they were too. And they don’t leave out anything, even the cycle-stand contracts in bus-stands are taken in by them," an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer told <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mannargudi-intrigue-how-sasikalas-family-grew-control-tns-power-structures-43001">The News Minute in 2016.</a> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jayalalithaa and Sasikala – not a completely rosy picture" comment="subhead" text="Jayalalithaa and Sasikala – not a completely rosy picture">Jayalalithaa and Sasikala – not a completely rosy picture</cmsannotation> The duo, who had ruled politics in Tamil Nadu, also had their ups and downs. In a move that shocked many, in 2011, Jayalalithaa had expelled Sasikala and 13 of her family members from AIADMK. “All party men are directed not to have any contact whatsoever with all these expelled persons,” Jayalalithaa had <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/content/212823/jayalalitha-expels-sasikala-13-others.html">said then. </a> Earlier in 1996, Jayalalithaa had first distanced herself from Sasikala when they were arrested in the ₹66 crore disproportionate assets case. It was reported that Sasikala’s growing clout in AIADMK that began to bother Jayalalithaa. But soon after in 2012, the Tamil Nadu CM marked a U-turn by reinstating Sasikala, after she publicly disassociated herself from her family members and wrote an apology letter to Jayalalithaa. <div type="image" title="jaya sasi 1" msid="80475258" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;File photo of AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with her close aide V K Sasikala&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jayalalithaa’s death and Sasikala’s close brush with being the CM" comment="subhead" text="Jayalalithaa’s death and Sasikala’s close brush with being the CM">Jayalalithaa’s death and Sasikala’s close brush with being the CM</cmsannotation> Sasikala bounced back to prominence and cemented her position as Jayalalithaa’s most important aide by the time of the latter’s death in December 2016. <div type="image" title="jayalalitha death" msid="80475235" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sasikala at Jayalalithaa&amp;#39;s funeral&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Even as conspiracy theories <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jayalaithaa-slowly-poisoned-to-death-by-sasikala-with-unsuitable-food-alleges-aiadmk-minister/story-IyKNIgM5rO73a26ORJC5AK.html">alleged</a> that it was Sasikala who had slowly poisoned the leader, the party stood by Chinnamma. And so did the powers that be in New Delhi. “I emphatically request that respected Chinnamma has to immediately take over the leadership of the Government, as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” wrote deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha M Thambidurai <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/know/sasikala-in-ammas-likeness/article9461395.ece">in a letter</a>. <div type="image" title="sasikala11" msid="80475285" hostid="261"></div> Sasikala continued to live in Poes Garden – a house that was never hers, and Jayalithaa never left a will. Until she was arrested. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Sasikala’s world goes tumbling down" comment="subhead" text="Sasikala’s world goes tumbling down">Sasikala’s world goes tumbling down</cmsannotation> In February 2017, Sasikala was sent to jail along with her nephew V N Sudhagaran and sister-in-law J Elavarasi in the disproportionate assets case. The Supreme Court of India over-ruled the Karnataka High Court’s decision from 2015, which had acquitted Jayalalithaa and others, and sent them all packing to jail. During the <a href="https://scroll.in/latest/978884/vk-sasikala-pays-rs-10-crore-fine-in-disproportionate-assets-case-lawyer-says-early-release-likely">investigation</a>, it was found that Sasikala and her relatives through shell companies had bought properties worth ₹300 crore in and around Chennai. In 2020, Sasikala’s relatives paid the ₹10 crore fine on her behalf. During her tenure in jail, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/top-prison-official-accused-of-accepting-2-crore-from-sasikala/article19265812.ece">reports</a> said that Sasikala had allegedly bribed jail officials for preferential treatment. She had also been let out first on a five-day parole in 2017 to meet her ailing husband Natarajan and then again on a 15-day parole in 2018 to attend his funeral. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="One more chance for Sasikala" comment="subhead" text="One more chance for Sasikala">One more chance for Sasikala</cmsannotation> To put it very mildly, Sasikala’s emergence from jail ahead of the Tamil Nadu polls is likely to make it a lot more interesting. <div type="image" title="sasikala1" msid="80475272" hostid="261"></div> While the DMK is touted to be ahead in the electoral race, as per many estimates, the incumbent AIADMK government under E Palanisamy is stronger than it was when she was arrested. There were many who thought the AIADMK government wouldn’t survive its full term but it did. The party did break as Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran took charge of the faction that was spun out. However, he has, in the past, underscored that his commitment is to protecting Jayalalithaa’s legacy more than any party. If he sticks to that stance, there is room for the rival factions to unite. And as far as the AIADMK is concerned, there is a need for it too. The tug of war between the Chief Minister Palanisamy and the Finance Minister O Panneerselvam continues till date. Sasikala can fix that too. The question is whether she wants to. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/old-vehicle-owners-may-have-to-pay-up-to-3800-per-year-as-green-tax/articleshow/80473971.cms">Old vehicle owners may have to pay up to ₹3,800 per year as ‘Green tax’</a>

Sasikala returns in an election year⁠ — a woman who has won and lost it all one too many times has another shot at power

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Sasikala is the new general secretary of AIADMK

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Amma goes scot-free! Karnataka HC acquits Jayalalithaa in disproportionate assets case

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Sasikala returns in an election year⁠ — a woman who has won and lost it all one too many times has another shot at power

Sanchita Dash

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