India, Dec. 10 -- September 27, 2014 to December 5, 2016 (a total of 802 days) could be termed as the most tormenting period of Jayalalithaa's personal and public life, save the brief bright spot when her party- the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)- won the second consecutive term in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections in May 2016. This was against all odds and even beyond her own expectations, despite the routine electoral campaigns and strategising that the poll battle involved. It was a sort of record, because no party had been re-elected consecutively in Tamil Nadu since 1984. Thus, Jayalalithaa became the first chief minister to win consecutive terms after MG Ramachandran (MGR). She was overwhelmed, but became a shadow...