Ailing south Indian politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram has handed many of her responsibilities to her deputy, her party said, as desperate fans held vigils for her recovery, with some resorting to self-harm.

The hugely popular chief minister of southern Tamil Nadu state, a former movie star, was admitted to hospital on September 22 suffering from fever and dehydration and is on respiratory support.

Authorities have said little about the state of the 68-year-old's health after several of her supporters resorted to self-harm when she was briefly jailed in 2014 on charges of corruption.

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