OPS camp in hectic lobbying to stay afloat ahead of GC meet

CHENNAI: The O. Panneerselvam (OPS) camp of the AIADMK which is battered and bruised in the ongoing power struggle within the party is conducting hectic lobbying with the Thevar community leaders and the national leadership of the BJP to stay afloat in the party.

The party general council is slated to be on July 11 which is strongly being objected by OPS faction.

OPS was the coordinator of the party while Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) was the Co-coordinator. With the June 23rd general council of the party turning violent and OPS booed out of the meeting at Vanagaram, the EPS faction has come out with the theory that the coordinator, co-coordinator posts are defunct and that EPS was the party headquarters general secretary while OPS has been reverted as the party treasurer.

The party general council also elected A. Tamilmagan Hussain as the presidium chairman. This was strongly opposed by the OPS faction stating that this was against the party constitution.

With almost all the district secretaries and party state council members throwing their weight behind EPS and his factions demanding a single leadership, OPS need the support of external elements.

He has already met his Thevar community leaders to drum up support. It may be noted that the Thevar commission a powerful community of South Tamil Nadu and a traditional vote bank for the party.

OPS and former interim general secretary of the party V.K. Sasikala are both from the Thevar community. Both these leaders have met the head of the community and requested for support. In the murky politics of Tamil Nadu, the support garnered by a powerful community is a sure shot to political wins.

On June 24, OPS was seen along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP, NDA leaders while the NDA's presidential candidate, Draupadi Murmu was submitting her nomination to the post. It was discussed wildly in political circles of Tamil Nadu that OPS had reached New Delhi immediately after he was booed at the AIADMK general council meet on June 23.

AIADMK organising Secretary and former minister D. Jayakumar, who is closely associated with EPS faction, said that the BJP national leadership was trying to intervene in AIADMK politics.