Jaya makes public appearance, to take oath as CM tomorrow

Chennai: AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa who made her first public appearance in eight months today, was greeted by thousands by showering flowers on her vehicle as it inched towards the Governor's residence.

Jayalalithaa, who was elected as leader of AIADMK Legislature party, will be sworn in as Chief Minister at 11 am tomorrow at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium, according to party sources.

Amidst playing of the traditional ‘chenda melam' (cylindrical percussion instrument) and other musical instruments, Jayalalithaa's cavalcade cruised along the four km stretch from her Poes Garden residence.

The leader prayed at a shrine of Lord Ganesh near her residence, en route.

Security men, who were perched on either side of her vehicle, and the police had a tough time preventing the crowd from coming too close to the cavalcade as a beaming Jayalalithaa accepted their greetings.

Later, the chief ministerial-designate attired in a embroidered green saree met Governor K Rosaiah, exchanged bouquets and presented a list of her ministers who are to be sworn in.

The prospective ministers were also seated in the meeting hall where Jayalalithaa had brief deliberations with the Governor.

Preparations have been afoot since yesterday to decorate the venue of the swearing-in ceremony.

When she returned to the city from Bengaluru after getting bail in October last, hundreds of party workers and the general public had greeted the leader.

She, however, did not make any public appearance. A stream of party workers converged here to greet her.

“We are at the cusp of victory after crossing all the hurdles. Our politics and administration should be based on legal principles and guidelines. That is how we have been functioning,” the 67-year-old leader had said after her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case recently.

Jayalalithaa was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court on May 11 after a special trial had convicted her on September 27 last year in a disproportionate assets case and sentenced her to four years in jail.

She was automatically disqualified as an MLA following her conviction. Recently, an MLA resigned from RK Nagar constituency in the city raising speculations that she may contest from there.