In the May 2007 Legislative assembly elections Jayalalitha’s AIADMK suffered a defeat at the hands of the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance although she herself managed to get elected. On May 11, 2007 as the poll results trend started becoming clear, Jayalalitha submitted her resignation to the state Governor S.S.Barnala. In a statement following her party’s defeat, she said, “I have done my best to the people of Tamil Nadu and worked hard to the limits of my capacity as Chief Minister for the progress and growth of the state.”A doughty fighter, Jayalalitha has had to face significant challenges in her life. Her principal opponent Karunanidhi is a shrewd politician with several decades of expeience. In the immediate aftermath of her mentor MGR’s death, she was humiliated and even physically assaulted by people close to MGR’s wife Janaki.