Hours ahead of her imminent departure to prison, Sasikala put her house in order and named a ‘Deputy General Secretary’ for the AIADMK. The man she chose was TTV Dinakaran, a former MP, and more importantly, her nephew.
Dinakaran’s elevation to proxy chief of the party in Sasikala’s absence came minutes after he was re-inducted into the party. He was among the members of Sasikala’s family who were expelled by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 2011. While Sasikala came back into Amma’s fold in 2012, Jayalalithaa did not extend the invitation to the rest of the family.
Along with Dinakaran, another member of Sasikala’s family – her nephew Dr S Venkatesh – has also been re-inducted into the party after his 2011 expulsion.
Dinakaran has been the one man who has been prominently photographed along with Sasikala in the last week. When Sasikala met Governor Vidyasagar Rao on February 9, Dinakaran was with her, wearing his pale Safari suit and glasses.