Chennai, February 27 Three-time AIADMK Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who held top party positions before his expulsion in 2022, joined the DMK in the presence of its president and Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin on Friday, a move seen as a boost for the ruling party ahead of the elections.
A trusted confidant of late AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa, Ottakara Thevar Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, joined arch-rival DMK after unsuccessfully trying to rejoin his party for over three years.
"Are you not embarrassed?" asked the AIADMK, highlighting OPS's rapid rise in the party and emphasizing that he had even been the official signatory for party nominees in elections.
The 75-year-old OPS, a prominent figure in the influential Mukkulathor community, who previously served as AIADMK Treasurer and held the top party position, joined the DMK along with his son, P. Ravindhranath Kumar, and supporters, including MLA P. Ayyappan.
The DMK's gain of OPS is expected to strengthen the ruling party, particularly in southern districts where the Mukkulathor community holds significant electoral influence.
Incidentally, the Bodinayakanur (Theni district) MLA is the last of his camp to join the DMK, while prominent supporters like V. Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian had already joined the DMK.
Others, including JCD Prabhakar, joined TVK. Rajya Sabha MP R. Dharmar and Vellamandi N. Natarajan are prominent OPS supporters who have joined AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami. Natarajan joined the Palaniswami faction on Friday.
Both OPS and Ayyappan (elected as AIADMK candidates in 2021) later met officials of the Assembly Secretariat and submitted letters resigning from their MLA positions.
Since last month, following a meeting between OPS and minister P.K. Sekar Babu, speculation has been rife that the ex-CM would join the DMK. Adding to the speculation, OPS supporter Ayyappan had expressed confidence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly that Stalin-led government would be re-elected.
OPS himself had said on February 20 that the DMK had the edge and would win the upcoming Assembly polls, and he had met with CM Stalin in the Secretariat. In fact, the possibility of OPS joining the DMK became a topic of discussion from last year, after his meetings with Stalin following the breakdown of ties with the NDA.
On Friday, Sekar Babu, who is himself an ex-AIADMK leader, accompanied Panneerselvam to the DMK headquarters, 'Anna Arivalayam'. Now, speculation is that OPS or his son would be given a key position if the DMK retains power.
A party worker since the founding of AIADMK in 1972, he had been the chief minister thrice (2001-02, 2014-15 and 2016-17), and had held important portfolios, including finance, revenue, and public works, during his long tenure in AIADMK-led governments. He was also a five-time MLA, and his first public office was as the chairman of the Periyakulam Municipality in Theni district in southern Tamil Nadu in 1996.
He began his career as a tea shop owner in Theni, and became the chief minister for the first time at the age of 40 in 2001, after Jayalalithaa had to step down due to the TANSI land deal controversy. Subsequently, he became the CM in 2014 after Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case. Again, he was the CM after her death in 2016.
He launched a "Dharmayudham" in February 2017, alleging he was forced to step down as CM, and eventually joined hands with Palaniswami-led faction, and they together eased out Jayalalithaa's confidante VK Sasikala and her kin from the party. OPS, who was unassuming and modest, had also briefly served as Leader of the Opposition after DMK formed the government in 2006, and later, he had been the deputy LoP.
During his tenure in the government, he had also been the Leader of the House, and he had been the deputy chief minister between 2017 and 2021. After his expulsion, he floated the AIADMK Workers' Rights Retrieval Committee, which was later rechristened as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Workers Rights Retrieval Kazhagam in December 2025.
Speaking to reporters, Panneerselvam expressed happiness in joining the DMK, and said it protects the Dravidian ideology, and it is the right party for Tamil Nadu's development. He committed himself to work for the DMK's development. He described DMK as the parent outfit of the Dravidian ideology, and said he was joining it with joy.
OPS recalled that he was praised as "Pachai Tamizhar Panneerselvam" (real Tamilian Panneerselvam) by late DMK chief M. Karunanidhi. Stalin praised OPS as cultured and humble, and welcomed him to the DMK.
The former CM criticized AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami as an "autocrat" and "arrogant" who has created a situation of "no-victory" for the AIADMK at all times. He was leading the party towards "destruction" and paying attention in "finishing off" the career of AIADMK leaders from southern districts. Panneerselvam is from southern TN.
To a question, Panneerselvam said he was not concerned about the past, and that he would from now on abide by Stalin's diktat.
AIADMK leaders including KP Munusamy slammed OPS for his move. The former minister said Panneerselvam even once praised Karunanidhi. Panneerselvam was a very big "selfish person" who had no principles.
