'My Entry Has Begun...': Jayalalithaa's Aide Sasikala Makes Dramatic Announcement

Chennai: V. K. Sasikala, confidante of the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, made a dramatic declaration on Sunday, asserting that despite its recent electoral setback, the AIADMK is far from being decimated, as her "entry has begun." She vowed to restore Amma's rule by leading the party to victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Sasikala also emphasized her intent to hold the government accountable, stepping in as the "opposition party" when Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the current Leader of the Opposition, fails to ask the right questions.

Following her prolonged and unsuccessful attempts to reclaim control of the AIADMK from Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Sasikala addressed her supporters, stating that the time is ripe for her return to the political arena.  "This is the time I have been telling you, there is no need for any concern," she said, apparently referring to her stand of 'unifying' the party for which she also had toured several regions of the state.

"For sure, people of Tamil Nadu are on our side.... I am very strong... it cannot be thought that the AIADMK is finished and it is because, my entry (re-entry) has commenced," she said amid rounds of applause.

With the support of cadres and people, 'Amma's' regime will be ushered in by winning the 2026 Assembly polls. She said she will soon begin her state-wide tour and pose questions and the DMK government has to provide answers.

Sasikala, without naming anyone, said 'caste based politics' has made an entry into the party (AIADMK).

Bringing such caste based politics into the party nurtured by party founder MGR and late matriarch 'Amma Jayalalithaa' will not be tolerated by her and party workers. Had she had any caste based considerations, she would not have made Edappadi K Palaniswami as Chief Minister in 2017. He was made the Chief Minister considering representation to the western region of the state, which had all along stood by the party from the days of MGR.

Today, she said the party has been relegated to third and fourth positions in the recent LS polls and also had lost deposit in a number of seats.

It is obvious that her 'caste based politics' and the 'poll debacle' comments were aimed at Edappadi Palaniswami. In 2017, when she proposed Palaniswami for the post of Chief Minister she was the party's interim general secretary, the number one position then following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016.

Speaking to reporters, answering a question, she said 'boycott of Vikravandi bypoll is not correct under the present circumstances.' The AIADMK and DMDK have boycotted the July 10 bypoll. Targeting the ruling DMK regime over issues including procurement of buses, she said, "if the leader of the opposition (Edappadi Palaniswami) does not pose questions that he must ask, I am the opposition party, I am asking (those) questions." She expressed confidence of bringing everyone together, unify the AIADMK and capture power in the state.

Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his supporters were expelled by Edappadi Palaniswami, who later emerged as the single leader at the helm of the AIADMK. Sasikala and her relatives, including TTV Dhinakaran, who later established the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, were ousted from the AIADMK years ago when Panneerselvam and Palaniswami united to take control of the party.  

(With PTI Inputs)