AMAZING FEAT: A partyman congratulates Jayalalithaa

This victory has created political history. No other political leader has had to face so many hardships. I was victimised over and over. Some people wrote me off. This victory will serve as a lesson in courage and endurance."

That was AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa immediately after her victory in Andipatti on February 24, which coincided with her 54th birthday. Andipatti has often given AIADMK candidates huge victory margins (35,000 for Thanga Tamizhselvan in 2001 and 32,400 for party founder MGR in 1984), but her record 41,201-vote win over DMK candidate Vaigai Sekhar matters little. What does is that she has returned.

Staging this comeback is the same woman who came out of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, her hair dishevelled after being allegedly attacked by ruling DMK members on March 25, 1989. She is a woman who has shuttled between the special courts to appear in more than a dozen corruption cases in the past five years. She is a politician who was debarred from contesting the 2001 assembly polls for being convicted in the TANSI case yet went on to become chief minister in May 2001 before being unseated by a Supreme Court order four months later. The final word on the corruption charges is not out yet since a couple of cases are still under way, but Jayalalithaa has demonstrated her ability to bounce back.

GOOD BOY: Paneerselvam was happy to vacate the CM's post

It was meticulous planning that saw Jayalalithaa through. In one of the most backward constituencies of Tamil Nadu, she shrewdly combined her claim to MGR's legacy with calculated aggressiveness, cautious pomp and a basket of promises. She began preparations in advance, knowing fully well that she could not contest elections unless the Madras High Court set aside her Special Court conviction in the TANSI case.

Thanga Tamizhselvan, who became Andipatti's MLA by default after Jayalalithaa's nomination papers were rejected last year, was instructed to nurture the constituency and ensure a safe platform for her return. Besides laying new roads and providing drinking water in the villages there, Tamizhselvan never failed to participate in public and private functions in the constituency. Whenever something was done for Andipatti, Tamizhselvan promised more "when Amma comes". Her acquittal may not have convinced Andipatti's voters of her probity but they knew she was their best bet.

On the other hand, the DMK lost the battle even before it had started. M. Karunanidhi made the first wrong move by harping on the "malpractice indulged in by the AIADMK to win Andipatti", indicating that his party was interested more in shelving the battle than fighting it.

The happiest man amid all this is the one who loses the plump post of chief minister. Even before counting began, O. Paneerselvam appeared genuinely relieved that he would be vacating the seat. "It is for Puratchi Thalaivi to decide what I should be after February 24," he told reporters. In her victory speech, Jayalalithaa lauded him for the "exemplary performance" as he stood wiping his tears. The same evening, he submitted his resignation to Governor P.S. Ramamohan Rao.

Jayalalithaa's return augurs well for the state which badly needs efficient governance. With empty coffers and mounting debt, the state economy needs an overhaul. Jayalalithaa plans to drop a few ministers and reallocate some portfolios. Some say she will not give in to sycophancy, but will prove her administrative skills. It's about time.