Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and former film actress who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over fourteen years across six terms between 1991 and 2016. She was the general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) from 1989 until her death, and was popularly addressed by her supporters as Amma ("Mother") and Puratchi Thalaivi ("Revolutionary Leader").
| Born | 24 February 1948, Melukote, Mysore State (present-day Karnataka) |
|---|---|
| Died | 5 December 2016, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Birth name | Komalavalli |
| Parents | Jayaram (father), Vedavalli/Sandhya (mother) |
| Profession | Actress, politician |
| Political party | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) |
| Role in party | General Secretary (1989–2016) |
| Office | Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (six terms between 1991 and 2016) |
| Rajya Sabha term | 1984–1989 |
| Constituencies | Bodinayakanur, Andipatti, R. K. Nagar, Srirangam (Assembly) |
Jayalalithaa was born into a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family in Melukote, Mandya district, Karnataka. Her father, Jayaram, died when she was two years old, after which her mother Vedavalli (who used the screen name Sandhya) entered the Tamil film industry to support the family. Jayalalithaa was raised partly by her maternal aunt in Bangalore and studied at Bishop Cotton Girls' School. Later, in Chennai, she attended Sacred Heart Matriculation School (Church Park), where she was a distinguished student. Although she received a government scholarship for higher studies, her mother's circumstances led her into films.
Jayalalithaa made her debut as a child artiste and starred in the English-language film Epistle (1961). Her first lead role in Kannada was in Chinnada Gombe (1964) and her Tamil debut as a heroine was Vennira Aadai (1965). She rose to stardom with films opposite M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), with whom she was paired in around 28 Tamil films, including Aayirathil Oruvan (1965) and Adimai Penn (1969). She also acted in Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films, working with leading actors of the era including Sivaji Ganesan and N. T. Rama Rao. By the early 1980s she had appeared in around 140 films.
Mentored by MGR, the founder of the AIADMK, Jayalalithaa joined the party in 1982. She was appointed propaganda secretary and elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1984, serving until 1989. After MGR's death in December 1987, the party split between factions led by his widow Janaki Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. Following the AIADMK's poor performance in the 1989 Assembly election, the factions merged under Jayalalithaa's leadership, and she became Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly — the first woman to hold that position in the state.
Jayalalithaa served as Chief Minister across the following terms:
Her governments were known for an extensive set of subsidised welfare schemes, often branded under her name and popularly called "Amma" schemes:
She also pushed for the Cauvery water dispute resolution in favour of Tamil Nadu, opposed the Mullaperiyar Dam height reduction proposed by Kerala, and resisted the central imposition of Hindi and NEET in the state.
Jayalalithaa faced multiple corruption cases during her career. In the disproportionate assets case filed in 1996, a special court in Bengaluru convicted her in September 2014, sentencing her to four years' imprisonment and a fine of ₹100 crore; this forced her to resign as Chief Minister. The Karnataka High Court acquitted her in May 2015, allowing her to return to office. After her death, the Supreme Court in February 2017 set aside the High Court acquittal and restored the trial court's conviction, but the proceedings against her had abated.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, on 22 September 2016, reportedly with fever and dehydration. She remained hospitalised for 75 days and died on 5 December 2016 following a cardiac arrest. She was buried at MGR Memorial on the Marina Beach, next to her mentor M. G. Ramachandran. O. Panneerselvam was sworn in as Chief Minister immediately afterwards. The circumstances of her hospitalisation were later examined by the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission appointed by the Tamil Nadu government.
Jayalalithaa was one of the most influential political figures in post-Independence Tamil Nadu and among the most prominent women in Indian politics. She was the first woman to be re-elected as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and built a strong personality-driven political machine within the AIADMK. Her welfare model significantly shaped subsidised public delivery in the state and influenced similar schemes in other parts of India. She was widely regarded as a symbol of female political authority in a region where Dravidian politics had been dominated by male leaders.