Published Feb 27, 2026 | 8:24 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 27, 2026 | 10:24 AM
O Panneerselvam. (X)
Synopsis: Former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam joining the DMK ahead of Tamil Nadu elections comes as a boost in perception for MK Stalin. Its electoral impact, however, is expected to be limited.
Barely weeks ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam — popularly known as OPS — joined the ruling DMK on Friday, 27 February.
Panneerselvam, who has served three times as the interim chief minister of Tamil Nadu and held leadership roles in the AIADMK at various levels for over 40 years, joined the DMK in the presence of Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin.
His son, OP Raveendranath, Usilampatti MLA Ayyapan P and other former functionaries of AIDMK also joined the DMK.
Last week, OPS had confirmed that he had met Stalin in the Assembly on the last day of the final session of the current Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The induction of OPS and his supporters into the party will be a shot in the arm for the ruling DMK and Stalin, who have been seeking a re-election. The move is seen as a win in perception politics, but OPS’s limited appeal after his expulsion from AIADMK is unlikely to impact election outcomes to a great extent.
The move, however, is likely to impact the AIADMK-BJP combine, which has been looking forward to consolidating anti-DMK votes.
On 19 February, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) had also joined the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).
After joining the DMK, OPS briefly spoke to the media and said that over the past five years, the DMK government led by Chief Minister Stalin had implemented schemes dedicated to the needs of the people. He added that this governance reflects the prevailing mood of the public.
Responding to a question about the state of Edappadi K Palaniswami’s AIADMK, OPS remarked that all of the party’s election-time announcements have remained merely ceremonial and zero.
OPS with MK Stalin.
Rumours regarding the OPS faction of AIADMK joining the DMK became rife after Ayyappan called for the incumbent DMK administration to return to power.
“With the blessings of Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, and our leader OPS, I wish that Chief Minister MK Stalin wins again and forms the government,” he had said in the Assembly.
OPS had also confirmed that he met Stalin and said he had called on the chief minister to extend his greetings as the DMK government completed its five-year term.
He said that Ayyappan had voiced the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu in the Assembly. He added that the government’s achievements over the past five years remain in people’s minds and that the DMK has the opportunity to form the government again.
Ayyappan had told South First that he would follow OPS wherever he went.
“Our leader OPS worked tirelessly for the AIADMK for so many years. But he was humiliated repeatedly. He was even prevented from continuing in the NDA. In such a situation, whatever decision our leader takes, we will stand by him. Wherever he goes, we will go with him,” he had said.
From 2001 to 2021, OPS was elected five consecutive times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Periyakulam and Bodinayakanur constituencies in Theni district.
With his induction into the DMK, it is expected that he could help the alliance consolidate Mukkulathor community votes in the southern districts.
OPS was expelled from the AIADMK in 2022 by the party’s current general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami.
For months after his expulsion from the AIADMK, OPS maintained that his aim was to unite the party. He launched an organisation called the AIADMK Cadres’ Rights Retrieval Association and continued his political activities under that banner.
Late last year, he left the NDA alliance even as the AIADMK rejoined it. At the time, he said he would soon announce the next phase of his political journey, specifying that it would come in the Tamil month of Thai in January.
He also jointly announced an alliance with other former AIADMK leaders, including former Minister KA Sengottaiyan and AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran. But Sengottaiyan later joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
At the same time, OPS said he was ready to rejoin the AIADMK without conditions. But AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami has firmly ruled out such a possibility.
