'Boundless Joy,' Says Jayalalithaa From Hospital As Her Party Sweeps Tamil Nadu By-Elections

'Boundless Joy,' Says Jayalalithaa From Hospital As Her Party Sweeps Tamil Nadu By-Elections

Tamil Nadu | Reported by J Sam Daniel Stalin, Edited by Divyanshu Dutta Roy | Updated: November 22, 2016 21:21 IST

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'Boundless Joy,' Says Jayalalithaa From Hospital As Her Party Sweeps Tamil Nadu By-Elections

CHENNAI:  Good news was delivered to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at Chennai's Apollo Hospital today, with her party the AIADMK sweeping all three seats where by-elections were held on Saturday.

While the AIADMK has retained the Thiruparankundram seat, which fell vacant after the party's sitting lawmaker S M Seenivel died not long after being elected in May this year, it has also won Aravakurichi and Thanjavur, where assembly elections were cancelled amid allegations that both the AIADMK and the DMK candidates tried to bribe voters.

The chief minister has thanked voters as ecstatic AIADMK workers celebrated the victory across the state. "The by-poll victory gives me boundless joy and enthusiasm. The victory proves yet again that people are on my side. My work will continue in tune



with people's expectation," Ms Jayalalithaa said in a statement from hospital.

In her first statement since she was hospitalised on September 22, Ms Jayalalithaa had said last week that she was "waiting to hear news of an election victory," and had encouraging the party to work hard for a win.

She had described her recovery as a "rebirth" and thanked people's prayers for it in that statement, saying was "waiting to fully recover and resume work soon."

The chief minister has been treated for an acute lung infection and in multiple heath updates in the past few days, Apollo hospital has reported that she is better and can be discharged whenever she chooses to be.  

As by-elections were held on Saturday, Ms Jayalalithaa was shifted to special room from the intensive critical care unit where she had been for weeks on respiratory support. The hospital said last week that she needs minimum time on the ventilator now.

Finance Minister O Panneerselvam has been holding charge in Ms Jayalalithaa's absence, chairing cabinet meetings and looking after the eight departments that she personally handled.

With today's wins, the AIADMK now has 138 seats in the 234 house assembly. In assembly elections held earlier this year, Ms Jayalalithaa had won an unprecedented second straight term as chief minister, her fourth.