Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko on Saturday said he was confident that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would return home "in good health", PTI reported. The state leader visited Apollo Hospital in Chennai, where the chief minister is being treated. He also criticised Opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for demanding an "interim arrangement" to handle the state administration.

Vaiko expressed "his shock and grief" at the chief minister's illness and said he had interacted with the doctors treating her. He said, "The chief minister is well. All the medical care is being given to her. The worries of lakhs of AIADMK workers will soon go," the news agency reported. He later made a "friendly visit" to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. Dismissing rumours that the meeting with Rao was political, Vaiko said, "We recollected old days.”

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the private hospital for dehydration and fever on September 22. The hospital said that the All Indian Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party chief’s health continued to improve and that she was making gradual progress. Her illness comes as the state is embroiled in the Cauvery water-sharing dispute with Karnataka.

The chief minister's health has been a major concern for the state, as rumours circulate that her condition has deteriorated significantly, even though the party has maintained that she is recovering. Mass prayer sessions, seeking divine intervention for the chief minister's speedy recovery, are being held across the state.