Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam joins Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK
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Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS), once a key AIADMK figure expelled after internal feuds, joined the ruling DMK Friday, a dramatic shift that could fragment AIADMK's southern base ahead of Assembly elections due before May.
Chief Minister MK Stalin inducted the three-time CM at party headquarters with senior ministers present, as Minister PK Sekar Babu facilitated recent talks.
Sources indicate OPS may contest from Bodi Mettu in Theni, his stronghold in the Thevar belt where he holds sway. The DMK sees this as a boost to consolidate southern support and lure disgruntled AIADMK cadres, while it dents rival Edappadi K Palaniswami’s (EPS) hold on traditional voters.
OPS, a J Jayalalithaa loyalist, clashed with Edappadi K Palaniswami post-2016, leading to his ouster and failed independent bids via AIADMK Workers Retrieval Organisation. He recently hinted at DMK alignment, praising their 2026 prospects, meeting Stalin multiple times, and quitting the BJP-led NDA in July last year. OPS blamed BJP for not reconciling him with EPS, whom he once called "elder brother"—a reunion EPS rejected outright.
BJP's Tamilisai Soundararajan dismissed the switch: " OPS joining a diametrically opposite party is the most ungrateful act I have seen. People will not accept this. It reflects the pathetic situation of the DMK. Why was he sidelined?" The development underscores Tamil Nadu's fluid alliances as polls near.