The party's general council passed the resolution at its meeting here. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and other leaders attended the meeting.
Sasikala has also been appointed as a temporary General Secretary of the party. The council also passed a resolution condoling the death of Jayalalithaa.
Unknown facts about Sasikala:
- On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala Natarajan from AIADMK party for allegedly running a parallel government
- On 31 March 2012, Sasikala was admitted back into the party, when she vowed to sever her ties with all her relatives and to serve with no public ambitions
- Sasikala along with Jayalalithaa and two others spent 21 days in jail in connection with disproportionate asset case
- In early life, Sasikala opened a video renting business, to supplement the family income and later added video recording of programs and functions like marriages to the business
- Sasikala, known as " Chinnamma" (junior mother), faced considerable pressure from her family and some MLAs to take over as party general secretary, a post Jayalalithaa held.
But she has so far been reluctant because she is more comfortable operating in the background and is not used to speaking from a public platform, something the post would require her to do.
"She is an average speaker, while communication is important for a party leader. She is unsure whether she would be able to carry out the responsibility," a senior MLA had told The Telegraph, Calcutta.
"Comparisons with Jayalalithaa will be inevitable, and she does not want to cut a sorry figure before the public and the cadres."
Another AIADMK senior said that Sasikala had always been a backroom worker.
"She prefers to be the director and is unsure about suddenly turning director-actor. So there's a possibility of appointing someone else as general secretary - someone who would take orders from her," he said.
Sasikala has faced attacks on the social media since Jayalalithaa's death. Some posters have accused her of slow-poisoning her friend. Some have highlighted how several of her family members whom Jayalalithaa had banished from her circle dominated the funeral, pushing even ministers to the background.