Sasikala to meet governor to stake claim to form govt

AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala will meet governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to stake the claim to forming the government. According to sources, she is expected to be sworn-in before February 9, making her the third chief female chief minister.

Exactly two months after Jayalalithaa’s death, her long-time friend Sasikala was unanimously elected leader of the Legislature Party at a meeting in the party headquarters on Sunday, paving the way for her to become the third woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

As soon as the news of her taking over the post was announced, political and media cirxlea have been buzzzing, and that has generously spilled over to the social media space as well.

Incumbent Chief Minister and party treasurer O Panneerselvam, who proposed her name for legislature party leader, at the MLAs’ meeting, announced that he would send his resignation to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

Having stood stood by Jayalalitha through the thick and thin, Sasikala's claim for the coveted post is based on her role as personal aide of Jayalalitha for nearly three decades,a period during which she had come to be seen as the power behind the throne.