The death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has robed the State of a politician with an ear to the ground. She was one of the poles in Tamil Nadu politics and took on the redoubtable K Karunanidhi in a battle that lasted nearly 30 years. She had corruption charges leveled against her and yet she was returned to power twice in succession, which was a first for Tamil Nadu. He rule was marked by populist welfare schemes including free laptops for students and mangalsutras for women. She is also credited with ushering in solar energy to take care of rampant power cuts. During her rule the State won a case in the Supreme Court to raise the height of the Mullaperiyar dam and a two-day global investors meet held in 2015 drew an investment of Rs 2.42 lakh crore. Basically she was Amma to her supporters. Although O Panneerselvam, who has stood in for her in the past, is now in charge, Jayalalithaa was always the face of the AIADMK after MGR. She had the charisma to take over the party after a bitter fight, provide it with leadership and most importantly, win elections. The AIADMK will continue to rule but for it to survive a charismatic leader will have to emerge.
