June 11, 2026 03:05 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Sonia Gandhi reportedly floats ‘Ghar Wapsi’ offer to Mamata Banerjee | Modi-Trump meet back in focus as report hints at G7 sidelines talks in France | Mamata's troubles deepen! Sushmita Dev quits Rajya Sabha, Himanta meet sparks BJP buzz | India's first AI data centre is coming! Reliance-Meta deal sends stock soaring | Anti-immigration protests hit Belfast after knife attack | Maharashtra CM backs Israel’s plan for Shivaji Maharaj statue — Big diplomatic gesture | NDA strength crosses 300 in Lok Sabha as 20 rebel TMC MPs extend support | Big nuclear boost! India’s arsenal surges to around 190 warheads, says SIPRI report | Fresh blow to TMC! Ex-Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta arrested in extortion case | Mamata's crisis deepens! 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs back NDA as party splits in Parliament

Jayalalithaa's lookalike niece announces political debut

| | Jan 17, 2017, at 07:03 pm
Chennai, Jan 17 (IBNS) : In what could appear as an attempt to establish the second Avatar of J Jayalalithaa, her niece Deepa Jayakumar on Tuesday staked claim to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's political legacy, saying she plans to contest elections and "follow in her footsteps", NDTV reported.

"I am starting a new journey in my life today, I plan to embark on my political journey at an appropriate time," Jayakumar, who bears a striking resemblance to her aunt, has been quoted as saying. .

,
She was addressing her first press conference coinciding the observance of AIADMK founder and Jayalalalithaa's mentor  MG Ramachandran or MGR,

Jaykumar, however, said she reserves a bigger announcement for February 24, the birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa.

Replying a question whether she was going to join her aunt's AIADMK or launch her own party,  she said she will take a decision after consulting with the party cadre and the people.

Taking a dig at  Jayalalithaa's close friend Sasikala Natarajan, recently elected AIADMK chief, Jayakumar said, "I cannot accept anyone else in Jayalalithaa's position."


The London-educated 42-year-old daughter of Jayalalithaa's brother had complained last year that she was not allowed to visit her aunt at the Apollo hospital in Chennai. Later, she also alleged she was banned from her funeral in December.

"As a blood relative, I wanted to be with her in her most trying times as she was the person I loved the most and I always wanted to be with. I was even looked upon by many as heir apparent to my aunt," she wrote in a blog on NDTV.

Image: twitter.com

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.