OPS’s son and former MP OP Ravindhranath Kumar denied speculation that a new political party would be launched.
Published Jul 31, 2025 | 4:18 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2025 | 4:18 PM
AIADMK Rights Retrieval Group general secretary O Pannerselvan greets Chief Minister MK Stalin during latter's routine morning walk on the Theosophical Society campus in Chennai.
Synopsis: The announcement of snapping ties with the NDA came shortly after O Pannerselvam joined Chief Minister MK Stalin on the latter’s routine morning walk.
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Pannerselvam on Thursday, 31 July, announced his faction’s decision to quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Pannerselvam, popularly known as OPS, made the announcement shortly after meeting Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin during the latter’s morning walk. Photographs of both leaders together were widely circulated.
Shortly after the meeting, former minister and OPS’s confidante Panruti S Ramachandran announced the faction’s decision to break away from the NDA. The AIADMK faction led by party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had returned to the NDA fold in April.
While welcoming the AIADMK back, Home Minister Amit Shah said Palaniswami would lead the alliance in Tamil Nadu.
The OPS faction’s decision to quit the NDA comes at a time when Tamil Nadu is preparing for Assembly elections, scheduled for 2026.
After the OPS-Stalin meeting, Ramachandran convened a media conference at a private hotel in Alwarpet, Chennai, and declared the severing of ties with NDA. He added that no alliance has been made with any political party and said a decision on future ties would be made later.
“The whole world knows the reason,” Ramachandran, also the advisor to the AIADMK’s Rights Retrieval Committee, said to specific query.
When asked whether the faction was aiming to defeat the DMK, he replied it was not about defeating anyone. “What matters is who we support.”
OPS’s elder son and former MP OP Ravindhranath Kumar also addressed the media, stating that the decision to quit the NDA was made based on the wishes of their supporters. He denied speculation that a new political party would be launched.
Asked about the party’s future and potential alliances, OPS’s camp indicated that he would soon embark on a statewide tour. After assessing the political situation, a decision would be made in the best interest of the state’s future.
There is also growing speculation that OPS may align with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
