Jayalalithaa is dead; Panneerselvam sworn-in as Tamil Nadu CM -Governance Now

Jayalalithaa is dead; Panneerselvam sworn-in as Tamil Nadu CM

Hours after J Jayalalithaa died, O Panneerselvam and 31 other MLAs took oath at the Raj Bhavan Shivani Chaturvedi

Shivani Chaturvedi | December 6, 2016 | Chennai

#Pranab Mukherjee #Narendra Modi #Poes Garden #Tamil Nadu #Chennai #Panneerselvam #Jayalalithaa

PM Modi paying tributes to Jayalalithaa in Chennai

O Panneerselvam kept a photograph of J Jayalalithaa, who died on Monday night, in his pocket when he took oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister on Tuesday at the Raj Bhavan. Jayalalithaa, 68, died at Chennai’s Apollo hospital following prolonged illness.

The 31 other MLAs who were sworn in along with Panneerselvam, 65, were members of the previous Jayalalithaa cabinet.

Earlier, AIADMK MLAs elected Panneerselvam as the legislature party leader at a meeting held at the party headquarters.

Leaders including prime minister Narendra Modi flew down to Chennai to pay respects.

President Pranab Mukherjee in a tweet described Jayalalithaa as "one of India’s most charismatic & popular leaders". "Ms. Jayalalithaa was a visionary & able administrator," tweeted Mukherjee.

"In her passing away, the nation has lost an icon who was loved and admired by millions," he added.

A pall of gloom descended on Chennai as the news of Amma’s death spread like wildfire. People grieved through the night.

The body of Jayalalithaa, who served six terms as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was taken first to her Poes Garden residence and then to the city's Rajaji Hall. A sea of humanity reached Rajaji Hall to pay final tributes to the actor-turned-politician.

Tamil Nadu has declared a seven day mourning and schools and colleges will be closed for three days.

Normal life was thrown out of gear in Tamil Nadu’s state capital.

Streets wore a deserted look, and shutters were closed. Petrol pumps too remained non-functional. There were hardly any auto rickshaws or buses plying on the roads. Even taxis were not operating.

Supporters had placed pictures of their iconic leader in various localities of the city and were seen paying floral tributes.

At city’s Marina beach where Jayalalithaa is to be cremated, thousands started gathering since 10 am. Marina beach has been chosen as the site for Jayalalithaa’s cremation as it has the memorial of then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran (MGR), the founder of AIADMK party. MGR was her mentor.

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