CHENNAI: Almost eight months after she was jailed for corruption, VK Sasikala drove into her sister-in-law's house in Chennai, her home until her parole ends. The homecoming was a sad sight as only around 500 people were gathered to receive her, including a dozen women from former chief minister Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar constituency. A lot has changed since she entered jail in Bengaluru to serve her four year sentence in the assets case. Large crowds had dotted the posh area and at Jaya's memorial to bid her goodbye.
After the merger of her handpicked E Palaniswami and rebel O Panneerselvam, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran who she had brought in and made her deputy in the party revoking Jaya's order, hasn't been able to keep the party under his control. Of the party's 135 AIADMK legislators, only 18 MLAs have stood with her and they have been disqualified.
Sasikala's visit to Chennai to visit her husband who had liver and kidney transplant has created a lot of buzz as she is expected to meet several lawmakers and a few ministers who want to prove their loyalty. While there are tough restrictions in place disallowing her from meeting people or addressing the media, it is said she would exploit her visit to recover some lost political ground.
