Jayalalithaa dies - Man Friday to captain: Can O Panneerselvam rise & shine?

He has been called a trusted lieutenant and a loyalist, who stood in for his party chief J Jayalalithaa three times during her hour of crisis. With the 68-year-old chief minister's death, the question now is whether the ruling AIADMK will repose the same faith in Ottakkara Panneerselvam, who held the post of caretaker CM twice and took over her duties after she was hospitalised. He is now the party's unanimous choice of legislature party leader. In all probability, the 65-year-old Theni strongman will make history as TN's eighth CM.

OPS has come a long way since he caught the attention of his party chief a decade ago when she visited Andipatti constituency in Theni to file her nomination for the assembly election. His followers say he is a devoted partyman, while his detractors term him an opportunist. But, since the day in April 2006 when he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a spotless white handkerchief to wipe the carpet on which Jayalalithaa was to set her foot on, OPS had earned his leader's trust.

He has bowed low, prostrated before her, deified her and even wept for her. But, he also meticulously followed orders, coordinated well with the bureaucracy and proved himself to be a mature team leader as well as team player. This may well be why the soft-spoken, unassuming chieftain was made caretaker CM twice — first in September 2001 when Jayalalithaa was forced to step down as CM during her trial in a corruption case, and again in September 2014 when she was convicted by a trial court in Karnataka in the disproportionate assets case. On October 12, 22 days after Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, OPS was again given charge of her portfolios, besides the task of presiding over cabinet meetings.

His terms were non-controversial and insignificant though marked by criticism from the opposition, which called him a puppet. They accused him of doing precious little and merely "following orders from the top". Overshadowed by his leader's powerful presence, OPS was careful not to sit on the CM's chair. He linked in her shadows and made no move that might even remotely throw the media spotlight on him.

In 2014, when he was sworn in CM, he placed a photograph of his leader in front of him while he took a tearful oath. He positioned himself firmly in Jayalalithaa's political path and remained devoted to her for two decades. The tea-shop owner-turned politician has also won the trust of Sasikalaa, who is likely to steer his political future. A Thevar (OBC) himself, he caught the attention of Sasikalaa, who hailed from the same community. This was when he managed the Lok Sabha poll campaign of Sasikalaa's nephew T T V Dinakaran for the Periakulam constituency.

OPS's climb up the political ladder was rapid. But, all through his tenures as stand-in CMs, OPS never failed to convey he was only "a temporary arrangement and a glorified office boy".

For a brief while, in February this year, OPS fell from grace as rumours about 'secret' businesses and the growing importance of his brother.

O Raja and that of his elder son Ravindranath Kumar in Theni reportedly reached Jayalalithaa. His close associates holding key posts were replaced. The party unit in Theni district went through a shake-up. But, his unstinting loyalty and caste affiliation earned him a reprieve - he was once again hoisted to the hot seat when governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao handed over Jayalalithaa's portfolios to him. Now, he is set to enter annals of Dravidian politics as Jayalalithaa's successor and TN's new CM.