Put AIADMK in autopilot mode till 2019 polls: Netas

CHENNAI: With J Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala seemingly reluctant to take charge of AIADMK right away, partymen say she could take her time to test her strength.

The local body polls are due any time now, but her leadership will be put to test when the country goes to polls in 2019. Some leaders, who had been persuading Sasikala to lead AIADMK after Jayalalithaa's death, now say that the party can be put on auto pilot until the 2019 Lok Sabha election when she can showcase her strength and take on the reins with the approval of not just partymen but the people as well.

Some senior leaders, however, point out that it is not possible for the party to remain headless for such a long period. "A party cannot go on without a general secretary for such a long period. There is a by-election (to the RK Nagar constituency where Jayalalithaa contested) due within six months and a general secretary is essential in the day-to-day running of the party," said AIADMK spokesman Dheeran.

The suggestion that the party could be put on autopilot does not augur well for Sasikala, who is hoping for a unanimous approval for her leadership from within the party.

Just three days remain for the crucial AIADMK general council meeting scheduled for December 29. But Sasikala is yet to give a nod to demands by partymen that she take over the party reins and also become Tamil Nadu CM, the post held by O Panneerselvam. "Such uncertainty cannot go on. Chinnamma has to take control," said a senior AIADMK member, expressing concern about the party's uncertain future.

R Kannan, MGR's biographer and UN official in Iraq, "By her premature death, Jayalalithaa has placed her 'sister in spirit' in an awkward position. No more can Sasikala exercise power and authority without accountability. Her insurance is gone."