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.

Comments

Other News

Framework for India-US Interim Agreement announced

India and the United States on Saturday announced they had agreed on an interim framework for an interim trade agreement, indicating a broad roadmap of the opening of the markets and reduction in trade tariffs on both sides. In a message on X, prime minister Narendra Modi said, “Great

India’s quiet rise as the world’s `Third Pole`

A silent re-calibration is going on in the international system, which is becoming more polarized, volatile, and entered of spheres of influence. The world does not evolve in the new era of bipolar competition of the United States and China, nor does it evolve on the setback of Russia in the role of a spoi

‘Tariff king’ to trade partner: Why Trump’s sudden U-turn surprises India

On February 2 at around 10 PM, Sergio Gor, who had become US ambassador to India just three weeks ago, posted a cryptic message on his official handle on X, stating, “President Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. STAY TUNED….” This created a buzz across media in India as the two l

One overlooked skill for success: The art of saying no

The Power of Saying No!: Why Really Successful People Say No to Almost Everything By Ashutosh Garg Rupa Publications, 200 pages, Rs 395

US reduces tariffs on India to 18%

US president Donald Trump has announced a reduction on tariffs on Indian imports from a punitive 50% to 18%. He called prime minister Narendra Modi late Monday (India time) and then announced the decision on social media. Trump said India would now stop buying oil from Russia and will procure it from the U

If budget is driven by Yuva Shakti, what do youth think of it?

When the Union Budget 2026 was presented in Parliament, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke with assurance about economic growth, innovation and employment-led development. Rising revenue receipts were cited as a sign of a widening tax base, while increased expenditure reflected the government’