Jayalalithaa Bio

This former heroine ruled Tamil cinema for a long time. Much in demand for her histrionics, Jaylalithaa starred opposite Sivaji Ganesan and M G Ramachandran in many films. One of the first Tamil heroines who appeared in skirts on screen, her political initiation happened when M G Ramachandran founded the ADMK and invited her to join the party. Initially she was a member of the committee formed to oversee the mid-day meal scheme in schools. Soon, she was made a Rajya Sabha member and later, propaganda secretary of the party. On MGR’s death in 1987, his wife Janaki became the chief minister. Claiming she was MGR's true heir, Jayalalithaa split the party. In the ensuing Assembly elections, her faction won 23 seats, while Janaki's faction won just one seat. Janaki soon retired from public life, leaving Jayalalitha the undisputed leader of the AIADMK. In the 1991 elections, the AIADMK entered into a pact with the Congress and riding on the sympathy wave for Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated by the LTTE, the AIADMK came to power. When the BJP formed government in 1998, Jayalalithaa initially supported the party but later withdrew. However, after she returned to power in Tamil Nadu in 2001, she mended ways with the BJP and was a part of the NDA coalition. At the moment, she is a part of the Third Front.