Jayaram Jayalalitha is set to return as chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu after the governor, invited her to form a new ministry.
His conviction in a corruption scandal last year had ended his fourth term as mayor, but earlier this month, an appeals court cleared him.
She will be sworn in on Saturday morning, authorities said.
His replacement O Panneerselvam resigned Friday, paving the way for his return.
Jayalalitha, a former actress, is one of the most colorful politicians of India.
She has been a leading figure in Indian politics south for three decades.
Ms. Jayalalitha was convicted and sentenced to four years by a lower court last September.
He was convicted of unaccounted wealth accumulation over 10 million dollars (6.4 million pounds) and had to quit as chief minister.
The appeals court ruling earlier this month opened the way for his return as chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
On Friday morning, he said the office of Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah in a statement that Mr. Panneerselvam, party leader and loyal to the government was heading in his absence, resigned along with his cabinet ministers.
The governor accepted the resignations and invited Ms. Jayalalitha to form a government “as soon as possible,” the statement added.
In the afternoon, Ms. Jayalalitha asked the governor and accepted his invitation to join the government.
Thousands of supporters flashed victory signs and threw flower petals at his car as he sped through the streets of Chennai.
Earlier, lawmakers belonging to the regional party AIADMK met and elected Ms. Jayalalitha as the legislature party leader.
“This is the happiest day of our lives,” the former minister Sellur K Raju told the NDTV news channel.
Jayalalithaa set to return as Tamil Nadu chief minister for the fifth time after she was formally elected the AIADMK legislature party leader. She will be sworn in as CM at 11 am on Saturday.
Governor K Rosaiah invited to form the government shortly after his election, after which the titular head O Panneerselvam minister resigned. Jayalalitha soon met Governor Rosaiah and handed the list of ministers to him.
In a morning meeting of the MLA chaired by the president of the party presidency E Madusudanan, 67 years old Jayalalithaa was unanimously elected as leader AIADMK legislature party after his acquittal by the High Court of Karnataka on a disproportionately active case.
Panneerselvam, also the treasurer of the party, a resolution proposing his name as the Legislature party leader was seconded by the Minister of Electricity Natham R Vishwanathan and approved unanimously moved. The announcement was greeted with thunderous applause and soon celebrations broke out in several parts of the state who said he witnessed a series of suicide following the conviction of Jayalalithaa. A radiant Cooperative Minister Sellur K Raju, later said: This is the happiest day of our lives. The resolution moved by him, Panneerselvam heaped praise on their leader, calling gold refined in the fire, describing it as “the permanent secretary general” AIADMK.
Expressing solidarity with Jayalalithaa, MLAs of opposition DMDK rebels, including R Sundarrajan, Tamil Azhagan, K Pandiarajan, and R Santhi, they participated in the meeting AIADMK legislature party.
