AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa (67) on Saturday returned as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time, equaling her bête noire M Karunanidhi’s record, in a short, simple, but impressive ceremony, even as jubilant party supporters broke into celebrations by bursting crackers, dancing to drum beats and raising slogans eulogising ‘Amma’. Besides Jayalalithaa, 28 Ministers were sworn in, interestingly in two batches of 14 each, thereby, drastically cutting down the usually lengthy ceremony witnessed during such events.
Jayalalilthaa had lost her chief ministership and membership of the legislative Assembly following her sentencing by a trial court in Bengaluru on September 27, 2014 in the Rs66.66-crore disproportionate assets case. However, the Karnataka High Court had acquitted her of the charges on May 11 this year paving the way for her return at the helm after nearly eight months.
Her Cabinet is minus three old guards. Former Forest Minister MSM Anandan and ailing PC Pandian, who was a Minister without portfolio, were omitted while former Minister Agri Krishnamurthy, arrested in connection with the suicide of an official, was left out.
Governor K Rosaiah administered the oath of office and secrecy to Jayalalithaa, who was attired in a green embroidered saree, at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium. She is expected to start attending office from Sunday.
Among those inducted into the Cabinet was outgoing Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. The function was attended among others by Tamil cinema’s reigning superstars Rajnikanth, Prabhu, music maestro Ilayaraja, India Cements chief N Srinivasan and the who’s who of Chennai’s society.
Amma’s return to power comes as a shot in the arm for the AIADMK ahead of Assembly elections next year. Following the special court verdict, Srirangam, the constituency represented by Jayalalithaa fell vacant and the subsequent by-election was won by the AIADMK with record margin. Jayalalithaa has to get elected as member of the House in next six months.
The resignation of B Vetrivel, the AIADMK MlA representing RK Nagar Assembly constituency near Chennai is seen as a move to get Jayalalithaa elected as MlA in a bypoll so that she could meet the constitutional requirement. But chances of her calling a snap poll ahead of schedule too are not being ruled out which means she would not have to contest any bypoll but go straight into Assembly elections.
“There is a wave of sympathy all over Tamil Nadu in favour of Jayalalithaa because of her sentencing and imprisonment due to the verdict of the Bangalore Special Court. With the Karnataka High Court acquitting her of all charges, the general feeling is that Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK would sweep the next Assembly elections,” said N Kalyanasundaram, leading political commentator and analyst in the State.
The Opposition DMK is not in the best of health. Though Karunanidhi is 93-years-old he recently announced that he would lead the party for the next eight years, setting at rest rumours that his younger son Stalin would be projected as the chief ministerial candidate. Prospective alliance partners of the DMK, namely the MDMK, Tamil Manila Congress and the DMDK, are not comfortable with Stalin as he has been a failure in inspiring the cadre. The DMK has also been weakened by absence of MK Alagiri, the Madurai-based elder son of Karunanidhi.