Ex-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam snaps ties with NDA ahead of polls, meets Stalin later

Chennai: Eight years after he rebelled against then AIADMK interim general secretary V K Sasikala at the behest of the BJP, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday severed his ties with the saffron party and quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

OPS, who twice stood in as Chief Minister for J Jayalalithaa when she had to step down due to corruption cases, has been an avid supporter of the BJP despite the party fishing in the troubled waters of the AIADMK.

“We have decided to end our ties with the NDA. We won’t be part of the NDA in the future as well,” ‘Panruti’ S Ramachandran, one of the founding members of the AIADMK and a confidante of party founder M G Ramachandran, told reporters with OPS by his side.

The decision wasn’t surprising, as the BJP began ignoring and “insulting” OPS to keep AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami in good humour, with the two parties coming together for the 2026 assembly polls.

Hours after declaring his decision to walk out of the BJP alliance, OPS met Chief Minister M K Stalin for the second time on Thursday. They exchanged pleasantries during their morning walk, and in the evening, the DMK chief hosted the expelled AIADMK leader at his residence here, fuelling political speculation.

Thursday also saw DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakant, whose party contested the 2024 elections in an alliance with the AIADMK, meet Stalin.

The reason cited for both meetings was identical: they came to inquire about Stalin’s health as he resumed his official duties after a brief hospitalization.

The 2026 election promises to be an interesting contest, likely featuring four major contenders -- the DMK alliance, the AIADMK alliance, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), and Naam Tamizhar Katchi.

While the DMDK could be a potential ally for the DMK, OPS, according to political observers, won’t fit into the ruling party-led alliance since it was through his active participation that the BJP began interfering in AIADMK affairs, gaining an indirect foothold in the state’s politics.

“OPS’ best bet is Vijay, who is scouting for allies,” a close aide of the former Chief Minister told DH. Though OPS’ exit won’t significantly impact the NDA, the development is yet another setback for the BJP, which has struggled to convince its allies to join the AIADMK front. Another key ally, PMK, is beset with internal trouble, while even smaller parties are keeping their cards close to their chest, apparently hoping for an invitation from Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).

OPS might bring with him a section of the Mukulathors, a dominant community spread across central and southern Tamil Nadu, ensuring that the AIADMK-BJP alliance does not receive the complete backing of this community.

OPS was the BJP’s man within the AIADMK during internal turbulence between 2017 and 2022. He also acknowledged the role of RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy in his rebellion against Sasikala, which eventually led to his gradual downfall.

It is said that the BJP asked OPS to raise a banner of revolt to prevent Sasikala from taking oath as Chief Minister — she was eventually convicted in a disproportionate assets (DA) case and spent four years in jail.

Panneerselvam was expelled from the AIADMK by Palaniswami in July 2022. Since then, OPS has been in political wilderness, contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent from the Ramanathapuram seat. His backing, along with that of another expelled AIADMK leader T T V. Dhinakaran, helped the BJP-led NDA attract votes from the Mukulathor community.

However, the revival of ties between the AIADMK and BJP has changed the equation between OPS and the saffron party. Dhinakaran might still be part of the NDA since he leads the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, while OPS lacks a proper party structure.