Tamil Nadu politics witnessed a major shift. Former Chief Minister and former AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (OPS) joined the DMK on Friday. He joined the party in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. This move comes ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for April-May. Three-time Chief Minister
O. Panneerselvam, a close confidante of J. Jayalalithaa, first became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2001. However, he resigned after six months. He then assumed the post for a second term in 2014, but this time too, he only served for a month. He then became Chief Minister for the third time in 2016, but resigned again in 2017. There was also infighting within the AIADMK, with several party leaders reportedly opposed to him. This led to his expulsion from the party in 2022. OPS said, “Thank you to the DMK leader.”
After joining the DMK, Panneerselvam said, “Thank you to the DMK leader for including me in the party. DMK leader Stalin is running the party well. Chief Minister Stalin has provided good governance, and the state is seeing it. Women, in particular, are happy with the facilities provided by the DMK government for running their families. EPS is running the party dictatorially, and the AIADMK is heading towards decline.” Stalin welcomed OPS to the DMK.
Following OPS’s joining the DMK, Chief Minister Stalin welcomed OPS on X. Sharing a photo with him, Stalin wrote, “Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and dear brother, Shri O. Panneerselvam, has joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). I heartily welcome him. Known as the great leader of the Dravidian movement, this leader has joined our great movement to protect the ideology of the Dravidian movement.”
OPS is a prominent leader of the AIADMK. His joining the DMK could change the political equations in the state and impact the upcoming elections. According to political analysts, Panneerselvam’s joining the DMK will also shape the competition between the two major parties in the state. The shift of his supporters to the DMK could bring stability to state politics and open up new possibilities for new alliances. Assembly elections are also going to be held in Tamil Nadu very soon, making this move very important for the state. Panneerselvam has a strong hold on the Bodinayakkanur assembly constituency in Theni district, which is considered his stronghold. In the last assembly elections, he won the Bodinayakkanur assembly seat by over 1 lakh votes. ——————– Also read this news related to Tamil Nadu politics… Third phase of AIADMK’s manifesto: One-time assistance of ₹10,000 to every family, ₹2,000 per month to graduate unemployed. Tamil Nadu’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) released the third phase of its manifesto for the assembly elections on Tuesday. Today is also the 78th birth anniversary of AIADMK’s main leader and six-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa. Read the full news…
