After TTV, OPS also not willing to accept Palaniswami as chief ministerial candidate; duo in talks with Vijay’s TVK

Chennai: After AMMK’s T T V Dhinakaran, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s camp has also announced that it will not accept AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the 2026 polls. 

OPS camp is now weighing its options – join the DMK alliance or be part of the alliance to be stitched by the fledgling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), while TTV seems warming up to actor Vijay. 

For the first time, TVK has confirmed that the party was in touch with both Dhinakaran and Panneerselvam for an electoral understanding and expressed the hope that things will move forward as expected.

The talks are being spearheaded by former AIADMK veteran K A Sengottaiyan, who is now the chief coordinator of TVK. 

“It's true that we're talking to TTV. They're discussing internally and we don’t know when they'll get back to us,” Sengottaiyan said. The veteran politician’s induction into the party has given new confidence to the TVK which was struggling politically due to lack of experienced politicians. 

If the two leaders do not rejoin the alliance, it will be a major setback for the NDA, which is headed by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. Their presence in the TVK camp will give much-needed boost to Vijay, especially in gaining the support of a section of Mukulathors, a dominant caste to which they belong, in southern and central districts of Tamil Nadu. 

TTV and OPS’ presence in the NDA helped the combine push the AIADMK to third in several Lok Sabha constituencies in southern Tamil Nadu in the 2024 elections.

Their absence in the NDA is likely to further alienate the Mukulathors from the AIADMK – the community was one of the key vote banks of the party ever since its founding in 1972 but drifted away from it after the death of J Jayalalithaa in 2016. Palaniswami expelling TTV and OPS also exacerbated the situation. 

Sources in the BJP told DH that both TTV and OPS have now upped their ante by opposing Palaniswami as the CM candidate of NDA, which is a clear indication that they do not want to be part of the alliance. They said both leaders fear lack of cohesion between them and the AIADMK would bring no good to them electorally and hence there is no need to rejoin the NDA. 

“Even if the BJP gets them seats from the AIADMK, the two leaders cannot win without the support of AIADMK cadres. They fear they won’t get that support. We're still trying to get them on board, but we aren't sure,” a BJP source aware of developments on the alliance front told DH.

Sources in OPS’ camp said its leaders are split on the next move. While many want Panneerselvam to join the DMK camp, several say that move would be counter-productive and hence an alliance with Vijay’s TVK was the right option. 

“We can’t join the DMK after having opposed the party for decades together. Since we're clear we can't accept Palaniswami, it's fair that we join a new player and get the due respect. Our leaders have given their views to OPS who'll take a call in mid-January,” a source said.