This article has been republished from The Quint’s archives on account of J Jayalalithaa’s record-breaking consecutive win in Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. She will swear-in as the Chief Minister of the state on 23 May 2016.
Tamil Nadu has had a culture of making gods out of public figures – politicians, movie stars, musicians, et al. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, who turned 68-years-old on 24 February, is one such personality who has only grown with time.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party supremo enjoys devotion from not only the population, but also within the party.
When Jayalalithaa was caught in a case of disproportional assets, the newly appointed CM O Panneerselvam refused to use the office or the official vehicle as he considered them to belong to Amma.
Tamil Nadu will also go to poll around May 2016. The full force of Amma-might will unleash itself on Tamil Nadu, again.
The beloved Amma was absent from the public eye when the floods ravaged the state. This might have resulted in an uproar in other states, but not in Amma’s Tamil Nadu.
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