Panneerselvam resigns, Sasikala to take over as TN chief minister
Updated by admin on
Sunday, February 05, 2017 03:49 PM IST
Chennai:
O Panneerselvam has stepped down yet again from the post of Tamil Nadu chief minister. V K Sasikala has been unanimously elected as AIADMK general secretary and is expected to take over as CM shortly.
Prior to the Legislature party meeting, Panneerselvam met Sasikala at Poes Garden when the decision was taken that he would step
down and Sasikala would take over the mantle of chief ministership. Panneerselvam proposed the name of Sasikala as the Leader of
the AIADMK Legislature Party.
The 60-year-old Sasikala was a close aide of Jayalalithaa for over 30 years, and was even described as her "sister".
Sasikala was earlier elected AIADMK general secretary, and her rise to the post of CM was imminent in the last few weeks.
Sasikala, born 1957, has vowed to continue the Jayalalithaa legacy ever since her death in 2016.
Sasikala had faced several cases along with Jayalalithaa. She was arrested along with Jayalalithaa on 7 December 1996 and was
remanded to judicial custody for 30 days in connection with the Colour TV scam.
Sasikala was born to Vivekanandan and Krishnaveni, a family from Thiruthuraipoondi. Later, they moved to Mannargudi. Her wedding with M. Natarajan took place with the blessings of DMK president M Karunanidhi. Her husband Natarajan was working as a Public Relations officer in the Tamil Nadu government.
She was earlier running a video shop, and her association began with Jayalalithaa as she made video recordings of Jayalalithaa's
campaigns. Sasikala and Jayalalithaa then became very close.
On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala Natarajan and 13 others including Sasikala's husband Natarajan, T T V
Dinakaran, their relatives, and Jayalalithaa's disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran from the AIADMK. Jayalalithaa then alleged that
Sasikala and her family were working against her. However, on March 31 Sasikala Natarajan was reinstated as a party member after
issuing a written apology.
After Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016, the AIADMK general council unanimously appointed Sasikala as the party's general
secretary. It was apparent that it was only a question of time before she took over as CM.
