The AIADMK’s unanimous choice of late leader J. Jayalalithaa’s decades-long close confidante V.K. Sasikala as its new general secretary was little surprise: “Chinnamma” had after all taken the lead even as her mentor lay in state at Chennai’s Rajaji Hall on December 6. There were rumblings within the AIADMK as the Centre clearly backed senior minister O. Pannerselvam, who hails from the same dominant OBC “Mukkulathor” community as Sasikala, to take over on Jayalalithaa’s death. Another major OBC community, Goundars, to which Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambi Durai belongs, showed signs of discomfort, while feeble attempts were made to prop up Jaya’s niece Deepa.
But with the party having come back to power just six months ago, and with panchayat elections looming, most district leaders and some of its more powerful wings set the tone for a reconciliation, at least for now. As Sasikala was privy to all key political and financial decisions in the AIADMK for years, it was eventually the pragmatism of influential leaders that nipped all detractors in the bud. But what isn’t clear is whether Sasikala becoming general secretary will give rise to demands that she should now be CM as well, which is bound to be strongly resisted by the CM and his backers. There are also cases still pending, on which Sasikala is yet to be cleared. While in politics, the last word is never said, the “balance of convenience” was in Sasikala’s favour. It is now up to her and her team to provide good governance, if only to uphold the mandate Tamil Nadu gave Jayalalithaa.
