Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala Natarajan will be the new chief of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, party spokesperson Ponnaiyan said on Thursday. “It is the desire of the entire party,” he said, according to NDTV. “Sasikala has functioned as the conscience of Amma [Jayalalithaa].”

Jayalalithaa died on December 5. Sasikala, her confidante who lived in her Poes Garden home, is often referred to as Chinamma or younger mother. Several AIADMK officials have been in favour of Sasikala taking charge of the party, though she does not hold an official post at the moment.