OPS replaces Sengottaiyan as Leader of House

This was communicated through a one-line announcement by the Assembly Secretariat, just three days ahead of the first Assembly session of this year. 

The move is an indicator of the growing rapport between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and OPS, besides the rising stature of the latter in the party.

OPS was the Leader of the House before he walked out of the AIADMK. Sengottaiyan was appointed in the post after the party split. While Sengottaiyan entered the Assembly in 1977 along with party founder MGR when AIADMK faced its first polls after its inception, he had been elected to the Assembly eight times and from the same constituency of Gobichettipalayam seven times.

Panneerselvam contested in Assembly elections for the first time in 2001 and won the Periyakulam seat. This is his fourth term as member of the House.

Dissident leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dinakaran came down heavily on the move saying that Sengottaiyan was a senior leader and called it an arrangement between EPS and OPS, who had betrayed the party.