Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will, unsurprisingly, win her election to the state legislature by a massive lead.
Shortly after noon, she was ahead of her rival, C Mahendran of the Left, by more than one lakh votes in the constituency of RK Nagar. The seat was held by her AIADMK; the legislator, P Vetrivel, resigned to allow the Chief Minister to run from his constituency.
Outside Ms Jayalalithaa’s residence in Chennai, enthusiastic supporters said the result proves that nobody believes their leader is guilty of corruption. “Our Amma did not do a scam,” said one supporter to NDTV.
“Amma” (Mother), as Ms Jayalalithaa, a former movie star, is referred to, was acquitted in May in a corruption case dating back to her first term in the 90s as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The acquittal allowed her to return to office, which she was forced to quit last year after a lower court found her guilty of collecting wealth that could not be explained by her declared sources of income. The indictment meant that she was disqualified immediately as an elected representative.
The verdict was reversed by the High Court in Karnataka, where the trial was moved to ensure it would be free of the politics of Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government has challenged Ms Jayalalithaa’s acquittal in the Supreme Court.
Ms Jayalalithaa, 67, enjoys huge popularity in her home state, partly on account of populist schemes that provide free kitchen grinders and laptops to families. In the Lok Sabha, her AIADMK is the third-largest party.
Shortly after noon, she was ahead of her rival, C Mahendran of the Left, by more than one lakh votes in the constituency of RK Nagar. The seat was held by her AIADMK; the legislator, P Vetrivel, resigned to allow the Chief Minister to run from his constituency.
Outside Ms Jayalalithaa’s residence in Chennai, enthusiastic supporters said the result proves that nobody believes their leader is guilty of corruption. “Our Amma did not do a scam,” said one supporter to NDTV.
“Amma” (Mother), as Ms Jayalalithaa, a former movie star, is referred to, was acquitted in May in a corruption case dating back to her first term in the 90s as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The acquittal allowed her to return to office, which she was forced to quit last year after a lower court found her guilty of collecting wealth that could not be explained by her declared sources of income. The indictment meant that she was disqualified immediately as an elected representative.
The verdict was reversed by the High Court in Karnataka, where the trial was moved to ensure it would be free of the politics of Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government has challenged Ms Jayalalithaa’s acquittal in the Supreme Court.
Ms Jayalalithaa, 67, enjoys huge popularity in her home state, partly on account of populist schemes that provide free kitchen grinders and laptops to families. In the Lok Sabha, her AIADMK is the third-largest party.
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