Tamil Nadu after Jayalalithaa: Power remains firmly in Poes Garden, for now

J Jayalalithaa is dead and her party cadre is jostling to dive before Jaya’s aide V K Sasikala and touch her feet. What does this mean for party politics and does it matter all that much when the real test looms - elections? As political parties circle overhead, Sasikala rules from Poes Garden and O Panneerselvam does what he does best - keeping the peace and turning down the volume. The circumstances surrounding Jaya’s death remain shrouded in mystery, her super-fans are livid and the final word on the

disproportionate assets case - the one in which Jaya and Sasikala were jailed - is still to come. Narayan Lakshman of The Hindu and Nikhila Natarajan catch up for a chat barely 500 mts from where Jayalalithaa lies buried, in a casket that’s been locked many times over with gold plated keys.