Jayalalithaa set to return as CM: 'Comeback queen' reigns supreme after acquittal in DA case

Chennai, May 11: In a dramatic turn of events, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today wriggled herself out of the legal vortex she was caught in and has got the decks cleared for her return to the chief minister's post she had lost eight months ago.

The 'Comeback Queen', known for her resilience and determination to fight adverse situations, might have been on tenterhooks over the future of her political career, but has managed to stage a comeback.

Party supporters including AIADMK Ministers had been hopping from temples to churches to mosques praying for the release of their 67-year-old 'Puratchi Thalaivi Amma' (Revolutionary Leader-Mother).

They have been conducting a slew of prayers for the last few months, including carrying milk pots and performing 'homams' (havans).

The acquittal comes as a shot in the arm for Jayalalithaa, who in the face of her conviction in September last, had vowed to fight the situation legally and come out clean in what threatened to be a sudden dead-end of an otherwise successful political career.

Earlier, the TANSI case in 2001 had derailed her for a brief period after the Supreme Court struck down her appointment before she won her case legally and also was successful in a by-poll to lead the state.

However, this time it would not have been easy for the charismatic yesteryear actress, with a new Central legislation in place to disqualify elected representatives from contesting in elections.

But today's verdict literally allows the 'politician by accident' to plan not only a new course of political path but also prepare herself and her party for the assembly elections scheduled next year.

PTI