Jayalalithaa Jayaram

Who is Jayalalithaa Jayaram?

Jayalalithaa Jayaram, commonly referred to as Jayalalithaa, is an Indian politician who has been the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, since 2011. Previously she served as chief minister from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 2001, and from 2002 to 2006. She was a popular film star in Indian cinema before her entry into politics, having appeared as the lead heroine in over 140 films which includes films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and worked in one Hindi film. She is the incumbent general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. She is called 'Amma' and sometimes 'Puratchi Thalaivi' by her followers.

Although there have been claims that Jayalalithaa was introduced to politics by M. G. Ramachandran, she has denied this. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha elected from Tamil Nadu during 1984–89. Soon after the death of Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself as his political heir. She is the second elected female chief minister of Tamil Nadu.