Our Correspondent/ Chennai
The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu today formally named VK Sasikala as party new General Secretary in place of the late Jayalalithaa after a unanimous resolution to this effect was passed in the party General Body meeting held at Vanagram in Chennai this morning, saying all party cadres should unitedly function under her.
A tweet by the AIADMK says Ms VK Sasikala has accepted the party general body resolutions, implying that she would take over the party resposibilyt shortly
Ms Sasikala served as the close aide of the former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. After her demise, many district units and senior leaders urged Ms Sasikala to take up the mantle of the Dravidian party. In today’s meeting, her ascension to the party’s top position has been formalized, though in her absence. Earlier, two minutes silence was observed to pay respect to the memory of late Jayalalithaa, who passed away on the 5th of this month after prolonged treatment in a corporate hospital.
The elevation of Ms VK Sasikala in the AIADMK as its General Secretary is considered to be a stop gap arrangement till election is duly held as per the party regulations. Her ascension to top post in the party was a foregone conclusion as its various organs flooded media houses with photos of people of various cross sections urging her to become the party chief.
Immediately after the passage of the resolution in the General Body meeting seeking her nomination as the General Secretary, the state chief minister O.Panneerselvam accompanied by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and other senior leaders rushed to Poes Garden, handed over the copy of the resolutions to Ms Sasikala and asked her to take over the reign of the party.