Chennai: Four days after taking charge as the General Secretary of the AIADMK, V K Sasikala, close aide of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, today began the six-day long consultative meetings with party MPs, MLAs and district functionaries.

Sasikala was given a rousing reception as she arrived at the party headquarters in the city, where thousands of AIADMK cadres, especially women, thronged to meet her. A smiling Sasikala, while entering her office, gave a patient hearing to some of the women cadres of the party. She was received at the party office by senior leaders, including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, his cabinet colleagues, AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusudhanan, among others.

Later, she held consultative meetings with the office bearers and secretaries of Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and discussed with them about the development and growth of the party. This was her first interaction with the party functionaries ever since she took over as general secretary on 31 December and since her maiden address to the AIADMK cadres, where she vowed to lead the party with military-like discipline on the path shown by Jayalalithaa. This exercise would continue till 9 January, during which she would meet party functionaries from across the State.

The meetings come in the backdrop of growing chorus among party leaders, including the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and some Ministers, openly urging her to take over as the Chief Minister immediately so that both the party leadership and the State administration is held by the same person.