After the passing of J Jayalalithaa, the leader who straddled the politics of Tamil Nadu like colossus for decades, there is now a hard-to-fill political vacuum. It is announced that O Panneerselvam will be the new Chief Minister of the State; however it is thought that he will have a tough time in the personality driven politics of the region.
Known to be a staunch loyalist of the recently departed CM, O Panneerselvam is sometimes referred to in not very complimentary terms as Jayalalithaa’s Man Friday. At the occasion of the funeral yesterday, was seen to get emotional and break down with grief.
He is a natural choice given the fact that he is viewed as a loyalist, or rather a devotee and the fact that he is the party’s most powerful leader after supremo Jayalalithaa. He is also a prominent representative of the Thevar community.
Panneerselvam performed duties as the state CM several times in the past: for 6 months in 2001 when Jayalalithaa was disqualified as CM by the Supreme Court, then when she was found guilty and sentenced to jail in the disproportionate assets case, and then during the past few months when the she was in hospital. He has also held other important portfolios in the state which has given him valuable political experience.
The son of a farmer, he and his brother owned and ran a tea stall; Rosie Canteen. He then entered politics but continued to be very well respected and regarded highly, in his own community and others as well.
On prior occasions when Panneerselvam was CM, by his own admission he ran his government by remote control; that it was Jayalalithaa still in charge. There are some reservations now about his ability to govern without the hand holding the remote control.
Even as Panneerselvam took the oath of office, whispers about Jayalalithaa’s friend and aide Sasikala Natarajan ruling by proxy started to make the rounds. It is thought that she may be anointed the new party chief and will continue to call the shots.
It is thought that Sasikala Natarajan wielded absolute power behind the scenes during all three of Jayalalithaa’s three tenures as Chief Minister. It is reasonable to believe that for O Panneerselvam, there are difficult times ahead.
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