At a meeting of its legislators on Sunday, the AIADMK declared Sasikala Natarajan as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu – a move that had been predicted since the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
According to party sources, O Panneerselvam submitted his resignation in order to make way for the party to elect Sasikala to the post.
His resignation was later accepted by Tamil Nadu Governor Vidhya Sagar Rao on Monday, though he has been asked to continue “until further arrangements”.
She is likely to swear in as the state chief minister either on 7 or 9 February.
Panneerselvam Insisted I Become CM: Sasikala
A few days before the announcement, three top bureaucrats, who were close advisers of Jayalalithaa, were shown the door, a move that added fuel to the speculation surrounding Sasikala’s elevation.
Immediately after she took over as the Legislature Party head of the AIADMK, the first thing that CM-in-waiting Sasikala did was to dispel rumours that O Panneerselvam was forced to step down from his post.
After Amma’s death, it was Panneerselvam who insisted that I take over as party general secretary. Panneerselvam was also the first person to insist that I should be Chief Minister.
With this statement, Sasikala has tried to quash any attempts of a rebellion within the party, or any talk of a separate ‘OPS camp’, that has been doing the rounds for several weeks.
‘We Will Follow the Principles of Amma’
On Sunday, the incumbent Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and several Cabinet Ministers met Sasikala at her residence in Poes Garden, ahead of the meeting of party MLAs. At the meeting, it was announced that Chinnamma will take over as the head of the Legislature Party, clearing the decks for her to become the Chief Minister of the state.
Addressing AIADMK MLAs after their announcement that she will take over as the Legislature Party chief, Sasikala said, “The AIADMK government will follow the principles of Amma. We will always work for the welfare of the people.”
As she took over on Sunday, Sasikala made a very short acceptance speech. "I accept the request that all of you have made for me to be the Chief Minister," she said.
The Voices Against Her Appointment
Sasikala, who was one of Jayalalithaa’s closest aides for 30 years, lived in the late CM’s shadow for decades.
While she has never held public office before the death of Jayalalithaa, her family – the Mannargudi clan – wields significant influence in Tamil Nadu political circles.
Sasikala’s ascension to power comes despite the many voices inside and outside the AIADMK that have questioned her credibility. The opposition has questioned the ruling party for unceremoniously dumping O Panneerselvam, the man Jayalalithaa picked for the job following her arrest in the disproportionate assets case.
‘It’s a Black Day in Political History’, Say Opposition
The main opposition DMK said it was "shocked" that the AIADMK had chosen an administratively inexperienced Sasikala as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, one of India's biggest states.
"People didn't vote for Sasikala," DMK Working President M.K. Stalin said.
Congress leader TKS Elangovan said Sunday was a "black day" for Tamil Nadu.
It is a black day in political history of Tamil Nadu. We cannot and people will not accept her as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Her contribution to AIADMK is zero, did nothing for the people of Tamil Nadu. She is becoming the Chief Minister because of her money power. She cannot continue for more than 3 months as Chief Minister.TKS Elangovan
AIADMK member and former MP, KC Palaniswamy, has also written to the EC, seeking that the post of party general secretary again.
Late on Friday night, news emerged that the Tamil Nadu government had asked several senior bureaucrats – considered close to Jayalalithaa – to tender their resignations. The bureaucrats, including Sheela Balakrishnan, KN Venkataramanan and Shanta Sheela Nair, were suspected of having switched loyalties to the OPS camp after Jayalalithaa’s death.
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