Deepa claims for Jayas Gaddi

J Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar today laid claim to her political legacy, saying she plans to contest elections and “follow in her footsteps”, but saving a bigger announcement for the February 24 birth anniversary of the former Chief Minister – the first after her death last month.

“I am starting a new journey in my life today, I plan to embark on my political journey at an appropriate time,” she said, addressing her first press conference on a day the ruling AIADMK marks the birth centenary of its founder MG Ramachandran or MGR, Jayalalithaa’s mentor.

Whether to join her aunt’s AIADMK or start her own party is a decision she says she will take “after consulting with the party cadre and the people”.

In a red sari and a shawl wrapped in the style of her aunt, she also took digs at Jayalalithaa’s close friend Sasikala Natarajan, recently elected AIADMK chief after decades in the shadows.

“I cannot accept anyone else in Jayalalithaa’s position,” declared the 42-year-old who bears a striking resemblance to former Chief Minister.

A section in the party sees her as the counterweight to Jayalalithaa’s close friend Sasikala Natarajan, recently elected AIADMK chief after decades in the shadows.

In posters over the past few weeks, Ms Jayakumar has morphed into a Jayalalithaa lookalike, complete with her style of wrapping her sari and waving to supporters.

The London-educated daughter of Jayalalithaa’s brother came into the spotlight when she complained last year that she was not allowed to visit her aunt at the Apollo hospital in Chennai. Later, she also alleged she was banned from her funeral in December.