The death of Amma brings down curtains on a significant era of Indian politics. The legacy of Southern India's 'Iron lady', Jayalalithaa’s death will create a huge void in AIADMK and Tamil Nadu Politics. Jayalalithaa passed away on Monday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. In all these years, Jayalalithaa was not only a leader but also an ‘Amma’ (mother) for all. All the media channels broadcasting live footage showing supporters grieving inconsolably for their beloved Amma is reminiscent of her popularity which propelled her to the office of Chief Minister OF Tamil Nadu.

A veteran actress of more than 130 films, J Jayalalithaa joined active politics in the footsteps of MG Ramachandran, her mentor and with whom she had acted in numerous super hit films. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1984 to 1989 but it was only after MGR's death, she entered the domain of active politics and the rest is history. She became the second woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after Janaki Ramachandran. Barring 1996, she never lost an election. In her eventful political career, she served as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2014. Proficient in various languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and English, Jayalalithaa became a formidable figure in Indian politics. The AIADMK-DMK rivalry is legendary, yet Jayalalithaa held fort for more than three decades. Jayalalithaa was also the first Chief Minister in power to be disqualified from holding office in the disproportionate assets case on September, 2014. Although amidst all controversies, she got re-elected from the Radhakrishnan Nagar Constituency.

In a country where dynasty politics became a norm with the Gandhi-Nehru clan, Jayalalithaa was truly an exception. With Jayalalithaa, Indian political domain witnessed the arrival of women in mainstream politics. Along with local powerhouses like Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Jayalalithaa was an icon who fought her way to the top.