Of all the elections slated for the next round of Assembly polls, the ones in Tamil Nadu seem to be the easiest to predict. With the AIADMK still reeling after J. Jayalalithaa’s demise, it does seem as if the DMK has the upper hand, with or without its ally—the Congress. However, there is one development that has added a twist to the tale and that is the release of Jayalalithaa’s closest confidante Sasikala from prison. Can Sasikala make an impact on the coming Assembly polls?
This will be the first state election in recent memory without the presence of a tall, charismatic leader, for both Jayalalithaa and M. Kurunanidhi have passed away since the last round of state polls. While the DMK did see a brief power struggle between Karunanidhi’s heirs (his two sons Alagiri and M.K. Stalin), it got resolved pretty quickly in favour of Stalin. The AIADMK story was a bit more complicated because unlike Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa had never identified a line of succession. Hence there was the tussle between Sasikala’s supporters and others in the AIADMK, with the BJP jumping into the fray and promoting one candidate or the other. But since neither O. Panneerselvam (state deputy CM) and Edapaddi K. Palanisamy (Chief Minister) are particularly charismatic leaders in their own right, the leadership question is up for grabs.
Enter Sasikala, the late Jayalalithaa’s closest confidante and apparently the heir apparent. She made her intentions clear from the very moment she drove out of prison in a cavalcade bearing the AIADMK flag. All those who were looking for Amma, found her shadow in Chinamma (as Sasikala is known). As it is, the party cadre had taken to referring to OPS and EPS as the Raos and Kesris of the AIADMK who were only keeping the seat warm until the real heir apparent arrived.
Well, she has certainly arrived, but does she have enough time to make a real bid for power? First, she has to grab the reins of the party before she thinks about the state election due in two months. In the meantime, the AIADMK’s ally—the BJP—hasn’t done the alliance any favours by its plans to impose Hindi as the common national language. The Congress, on the other hand, does find more favour here than the BJP, though in the end, the battle will be between the two Dravidian parties. And it does look as if the DMK has the edge. For now.
