By AFPMore by this AuthorCHENNAIJayalalithaa Jayaram, the chief minister of south India's Tamil Nadu state and one of the country's most popular political leaders, has died after a prolonged illness, hospital authorities announced late Monday night. Doctors had been treating the 68-year-old former film star, who enjoys an almost god-like status in Tamil Nadu. To millions of her followers, the chief minister was known simply as "Amma" (mother). Jayalalithaa's death has also plunged one of India's most economically powerful states into a period of political uncertainty. Her trusted cabinet aide, O Panneerselvam, was sworn-in as the chief minister of the state after midnight.

Source: Daily Nation December 06, 2016 03:32 UTC