Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa continues to be in a "very critical" condition after suffering a cardiac arrest, Chennai's Apollo Hospital said today.

While the medical bulletin is creating panic across Tamil Nadu, the all-important question is being avoided both by the party and the government: 'Who will be Jayalalithaa's successor?'

Will it be O Panneerselvam, the man she trusts the most in her government and whom some AIADMK MLAs are supposedly backing? Will it be Sasikala Natarajan, the woman who has been her constant companion and her family for long? Or will it be an outlier who has her sanction and can bring the party together? Like Thala Ajith, the Tamil film star.

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When Jaya was first admitted to the Apollo Hospital on September 22 this year, Ajith Kumar was the first one to pay a visit to the hospital.

As Jaya's health continues to worsen, rumours are rife that Ajith Kumar is likely to be Jaya's heir for the post of chief minister. The potential scenario was first reported by a Kannada daily and was then picked up by other media outlets.

Over the last few days, another report that has gone viral on the internet suggests that the decision was indicated in Jaya's will and that it was handed over to her loyalists. It is also said Panneerselvam, who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2001 to 2002 and again from 2014 to 2015, will guide Ajith Kumar when he takes charge as the chief minister.

Interestingly, Ajith Kumar in an interview, went on the record saying that Jayalalithaa treated the Billa star as her own son. He was quoted by Kolly Insider as saying, "I can never forget when Jayalalitha attended my marriage and showered her blessings on us. Shalini and I had been to Jayalalitha Amma's Poes Garden residence. She showered her love as if I was her own son."

No political leader of AIADMK has the charisma or following that Jayalalithaa has. She has been the only star in the party. Though Ajith doesn't have any political experience, he is the only one who can bring charisma to the party in case Jayalalitha retires. The party has many leaders and a strong cadre, but no one big enough to fill Jayalalithaa's shoes. Not that Ajith can fill her shoes, but he can surely attempt to do that.

It is worth mentioning that Ajith Kumar spoke against DMK supremo Kalaignar Karunanidhi at an award function. He requested the Dravidian stalwart to not infuse politics with cinema. Interestingly, superstar Rajinikanth gave a standing ovation for his speech.

Earlier to this, Ilayathalapathy Vijay shared an emotional bonding with Jayalalithaa when the latter solved issues related to his film Kaavalan.

However, Ilayathalapathy faced the wrath of Amma when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi welcomed Vijay to join the party. Also, Vijay's Puli was said to be a satirical take on Jayalalithaa, especially the character played by actor Sri Devi.

Some are saying that Ajith Kumar doesn't need the cadres as much as the cadres need someone to look up to. But to know who Jayalalithaa hands over the baton, we must wait for Puratchi Thalaivi to recover. And anoint her successor.

WATCH HERE: Jayalalithaa still critical