Chennai: Sasikala, after her release, chose not to speak about AMMK, the party launched by her nephew TTV Dinakaran. She chose to use a car run by an AIADMK functionary with an AIADMK flag on her first visit to Chennai. And that symbolism, later on, became a routine. On Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary on February 24, she appealed to Jaya supporters to come together and fight against DMK.

The second big concern was protecting the traditional vote-bank of the AIADMK. Her speaking against the current AIADMK leadership of Chief Minister E Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam would naturally split the party’s traditional voters.

V K Sasikala might have said she is quitting politics and the common purpose of her and Jayalalithaa party is to defeat their common enemy DMK, but that doesn’t mean she is completely out of the picture.