From Jayalalithaa’s shadow to spotlight: Tracing political journey of ‘Chinnamma’ VK Sasikala

Former AIADMK chief VK Sasikala recently announced the name of her new political party- All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munetra Kazhagam ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. The move signals a new phase in her political journey. “I will work to my full potential and use my 39 years of political experience to remove the DMK government,” Sasikala said while outlining her political plans.

Her entry into the state assembly elections comes at a time when the polls are expected to witness a high-stakes contest involving the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) headed by chief minister MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin, besides new entrants such as actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).Once a close aide of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Sasikala’s political journey has spanned decades, marked by loyalty to the AIADMK leadership as well as controversies, legal battles and shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape following Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016.

From confidante to political contender: Who is VK Sasikala?

VK Sasikala is best known for her long association with Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK. For decades, she remained one of Jayalalithaa’s closest aides and confidantes, a relationship that gradually brought her into the centre of Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.Born in Mannargudi in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur district and a high school dropout, Sasikala’s early life was far different and simple. The association grew stronger over the years, with Sasikala emerging as one of the most trusted figures in Jayalalithaa’s inner circle and often acting as an intermediary between the AIADMK leadership and party cadres.

Following Jayalalithaa’s death, the AIADMK general council unanimously appointed Sasikala as the party’s general secretary, placing her at the helm of the party founded by MG Ramachandran.“Amma (Jayalalithaa) is not with us now but our party will rule here for the next 100 years,” Sasikala said while taking the post of General Secretary. Her elevation came amid a leadership vacuum within the party and briefly positioned her as the central figure in the AIADMK’s political future.

However, Sasikala’s political career has also been marked by controversies and legal battles. She was earlier remanded to judicial custody for 30 days in connection with the Colour TV scam and later faced conviction in the disproportionate assets case linked to the Jayalalithaa government of the 1990s. In February 2017, the Supreme Court upheld her conviction and sentenced her to four years in prison, bringing an abrupt halt to her bid to assume the chief minister’s office in Tamil Nadu.

She surrendered before a special court at the Parappana Agrahara central prison in Bengaluru to serve the sentence.The same year, allegations also surfaced when a senior Karnataka prison official claimed that Sasikala had bribed jail authorities for preferential treatment while in custody. The claim has been denied by her. She was later released in 2021 after four years. Meanwhile, political developments within the AIADMK continued to reshape her role in the party. Nearly nine months after she was appointed interim general secretary following Jayalalithaa’s death, the AIADMK general council passed a resolution in September 2017 removing her from the post and abolishing the position altogether.

A bond between ‘Amma’ and ‘Chinnamma’

The political rise of Sasikala is closely intertwined with the career of Jayalalithaa, who is popularly known among supporters as “Amma” (mother). For decades, Sasikala remained one of Jayalalithaa’s closest confidantes, earning the nickname “Chinnamma” (younger mother) among sections of party cadres who saw her as part of the late leader’s inner circle.Sasikala’s association with Jayalalithaa began in 1982 when she was introduced to the AIADMK leader by her husband M Natarajan, a government public relations officer at the time. What began as a personal acquaintance soon evolved into a close relationship, with Sasikala gradually becoming a constant presence at Jayalalithaa’s residence. By 1988, she had moved into the late leader’s Poes Garden home in Chennai.

Over the years, Sasikala’s proximity to the AIADMK leader translated into considerable influence within the party. As Jayalalithaa maintained a tightly controlled political circle and remained largely inaccessible to many party functionaries, Sasikala often served as an intermediary between the leadership and the cadre. Sasikala frequently travelled with Jayalalithaa and was seen as one of the few people with direct access to the powerful chief minister.Party leaders and aspirants seeking positions or election tickets frequently routed their requests through her, gradually cementing her reputation as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure within AIADMK. Her influence within the party expanded during the years when AIADMK was in power in Tamil Nadu.

Several leaders who later rose through the party ranks were widely believed to have benefited from Sasikala’s backing. Among them was O Panneerselvam, who later went on to become the state’s CM and a central figure in the party’s internal power struggles following Jayalalithaa’s death.Despite wielding influence within the party structure, Sasikala rarely occupied a formal political office during Jayalalithaa’s lifetime. Jayalalithaa never formally projected Sasikala as her political successor. Her role largely remained informal.The relationship between the two, however, was not without turbulence. In 1996 and again in 2012, Jayalalithaa briefly distanced herself from Sasikala, expelling her and several members of her extended family from the Poes Garden residence and accusing them of anti-party activities. When Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in 2016, Sasikala remained by her side. After the chief minister’s death later that year, she returned to Poes Garden.By then, Sasikala had become a deeply embedded figure within the party’s ecosystem – a confidante who had spent more than three decades alongside one of Tamil Nadu’s most influential political leaders.

Behind the bars: Sasikala’s prison saga

In September 2014, a special court sentenced Sasikala and her co-accused to four years in prison along with a Rs 10 crore fine each, after being found guilty of accumulating wealth beyond known sources of income during her close association with Jayalalithaa.After the Supreme Court upheld the conviction in February 2017, Sasikala surrendered before the special court at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru on February 14, 2017. The AIADMK aide, along with her sister-in-law J Ilavarasi and Jayalalithaa’s foster son VN Sudhakaran, were taken into custody immediately. Before surrendering, she paid respects at Jayalalithaa’s memorial and visited the residence of MG Ramachandran. During her four-year prison term, allegations of preferential treatment surfaced, with police officer D Roopa claiming that Sasikala had bribed jail officials for special privileges, including a private kitchen.

Despite these claims, the jail term saw her barred from contesting elections, halting her immediate ambitions to become chief minister.Sasikala was finally released in January 2021 after serving her sentence. Her formal release took place at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, where she had been undergoing Covid-19 treatment. Following protocol, she remained in the hospital for a brief period before re-entering the political arena. Crowds of supporters gathered outside the hospital, chanting slogans and distributing sweets to celebrate her return.

Sasikala’s political equation with AIADMK

Soon after Jayalalithaa’s death, the AIADMK general council unanimously appointed Sasikala as the party’s interim general secretary, marking the first time she formally assumed a leadership role within the organisation. At the time, O Panneerselvam, a long-time loyalist of Jayalalithaa, had been sworn in as Tamil Nadu’s chief minister.Within weeks, however, tensions began to surface. In February 2017, Panneerselvam launched an attack against Sasikala, claiming that he had been forced to resign as chief minister and accusing her camp of attempting to consolidate control over both the party and the government.

Amid the escalating power struggle, AIADMK elected Sasikala as its leader and she staked a claim to form the government. However, her bid to become chief minister was cut short when the Supreme Court upheld her conviction forcing her to surrender and serve a prison sentence. Before leaving for jail, Sasikala appointed Edappadi K Palaniswami as the AIADMK legislature party leader, paving the way for him to take over as chief minister.This resulted in deepening the division within the party. While Palaniswami emerged as the head of the government, Panneerselvam continued his rebellion, eventually leading to negotiations that resulted in a merger of factions within the AIADMK later in 2017.

As part of the restructuring, the party briefly abolished the post of general secretary in 2017 which was later revived in 2022.Pannerselvam, speaking at Jayalalithaa’s memorial in Chennai, claimed that he had been pressured to step down from the CM’s post. “I am saying these facts in front of you to make things clear in public. I will continue to struggle. I will take back my resignation if people, MLAs, want,” he said. In the years that followed, relations between Sasikala and the AIADMK leadership remained strained. Both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had publicly distanced themselves from her, asserting that the party would function independently of her influence.

Why is Sasikala launching a new party now?

Years after being sidelined from AIADMK, Sasikala appears to be paving an independent political path as Tamil Nadu moves closer to the next Assembly elections. Moreover, the abolition of the general secretary’s post and the consolidation of leadership effectively closed the door on Sasikala’s return to the party’s organisational structure.

Against this backdrop, the new outfit represents an attempt to reassert her political presence in a state where the legacy of Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK still carries electoral significance. While outlining her plans for the future, Sasikala said her political experience would guide her next steps in Tamil Nadu politics.The new party flag featured horizontal stripes of black, white and red embedded with the images of Dravidian icons CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.The party symbol featured a Thennathoppu’ (coconut grove), indicating “unity” and that the party would function like a “joint family”.Sasikala also launched a scathing attack on Palaniswami for allegedly betraying her after she elevated him to the chief minister’s post in 2017. “I remained silent all these years hoping for unity, but the present circumstances have forced me to take this decision. Staying inactive now would be a betrayal to the party cadres and the people of Tamil Nadu,” she said while launching the party.

Sasikala’s next political test

For decades, Sasikala operated from behind the scenes as she remained closely linked to the political legacy of Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK. Today, however, she appears ready to take the next step expanding her political domain.Tamil Nadu is set to witness a massive face-off between all the contesting parties on 23 April. With the launch of Sasikala’s new political party, she is stepping into the spotlight once again, this time as the face of her own political movement.