It's curtains down for the biggest suspense in Tamil Nadu politics. There has been an intense drama over who will be the next chief minister of the state and the two strong contenders were O Paneerselvam and VK Sasikala.

Sasikala's political aspirations and dream to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu came to an abrupt end on Tuesday with the Supreme Court convicting her in a disproportionate assets case.

A division bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy directed Sasikala and the others to immediately surrender before the trial court and ordered them to serve the remaining portion of their jail term.

She was accused of having wealth of Rs.64 crore more than declared sources of income during 1991 to 1996 when J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

The judgment bars her from holding a public office and contesting elections for at least next six years and the verdict comes at a time when she is locked in a fierce battle with O Panneerselvam for the chief ministership of Tamil Nadu.

The 61-year-old, a shadow of Jayalalithaa for over three decades, was always considered a power centre and backroom player.

Also known as 'Chinamma', Sasikala emerged as the party's numero uno when she was elected AIADMK general secretary on December 31, following Amma's death.

But it has been a roller coaster ride for her in politics as her detractors in the party had in 1996 accused her of being responsible for Jayalalithaa's disastrous election defeat during that year.

Sasikala accompanied Jayalalithaa to prison when the latter was arrested in a disproportionate assets case. She suffered a blow when she was expelled for anti-party activities five years ago by Jayalalithaa. However, her position was restored within a few months' time.

Amma's demise on December 5 was seen as a personal loss for her close aide Sasikala who resided with her at the latter's house, Veda Nilayam in Poes Garden, even choosing to stay away from her husband.

Sasikala's presence by Jayalalithaa's side when she was hospitalised on September 22 also raised some controversies, including allegations that access to the ailing leader was not being allowed even to the late chief minister's kin.

An aspiring small-time entrepreneur offering video coverage services and allied products like video cassettes in the early 1980s, Sasikala got acquainted with Jayalalithaa in 1982 along with her husband M Natarajan through the then IAS officer VS Chandraleka.

It was Sasikala who had video-graphed the function of Jayalalithaa while she was organising a party conference in Cuddalore in 1982.

Since then, Sasikala remained a wall of support for Jayalalithaa through thick and thin over the next three decades.