Panneerselvam ropes in PR agency for brand building in by-poll

Former chief minister O Panneeerselvam-led breakaway AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) faction has engaged a PR agency to do brand building, and that too without the rhetoric flourish of political oratory, for RK Nagar by poll.

The agency, which was understand to have been doing PR job for former school education minister K Pandiarajan, one of the leaders of OPS faction, has been entrusted the additional responsibility. A representative of the PR agency who admitted to doing the publicity job for the party at the behest of Pandiarajan told DTNext that they were asked to do media coordination for a month. 

The same agency had handled media relations last week when the party released a manifesto for R K Nagar. Interactions with party insiders also confirmed that the AIADMK(PTA) rebels had sought professional help for want of a well-oiled publicity mechanism within the party and the fledgling party was organising events in a haphazard manner thus far. 

The agency representative also confirmed that they have been asked to handle media relations till the R K Nagar by-election. Incidentally, OPS may not be alone in engaging PR professionals. DMK, precisely, its working president M K Stalin has an inhouse brand building agency supervised personally by his son-in-law Sabarish. 

The benefits the party had reaped from the in-house PR agency was felt in the “Namakku Naamey” tour of Stalin, whose routine political activities are now being planned by the agency under the supervision of his son-in-law. 

Tech savvy PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, who reiterates time and again that social media would be their trump card to capture power, had also engaged private agencies ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2016 Assembly polls.

At a time when all eyes were on RK Nagar by-poll, the camp headed by former chief minister O Panneerselvam received more support on Monday. Party heavyweight from the Sivaganga district and former minister Raja Kannappan extended his support to the OPS group.

Welcoming him into his fold, Panneerselvam said his AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma team was open to all those who were side lined or removed from the party by the faction led by V K Sasikala. Talking to reporters here, he reminded that he had rebelled after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa against one family capturing power and the party in the state. 

He said he has the support of all the 1.5 crore cadres of the then AIADMK and appealed to all those who have been pushed to the margins and removed from the party, should come forward to save the party founded and nurtured by MGR and Jayalalithaa. 

Stating that his faction’s candidate for the April 12 by-election E Madhusudhanan was well known in the constituency, OPS said that they have been receiving good response from the public during their campaigns. He also exuded confidence of the victory of his candidate by a big margin. Asked about the complaints against the alleged misuse of the twin electric pole symbol of the party, he said they were only using the symbol provided by the Election Commission. 

He said, his camp had given a clear explanation to the EC on this issue. Panneerselvam further said his party has also lodged a complaint with the EC on the alleged distribution of money to the voters by the supporters of Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran. Apart from Raja Kannappan, lyricist Snehan also pledged his support to Panneerselvam camp.