AMMK to hold discussions with OPS to consolidate TN’s Thevar vote bank

CHENNAI: The AMMK is to conduct meetings with former Chief Minister and deposed AIADMK coordinator, O Panneerselvam (OPS) to consolidate the Thevar vote bank.

The powerful Thevar community of South Tamil Nadu has been trying to patch up the differences between OPS, VK Sasikala and her nephew and AMMK general secretary, TTV Dhinakaran. The discussions the AMMK is holding with OPS are a part of this initiative by the community.

Thevar community has been a traditional support base of AIADMK and there is a feeling in the community that a group in the party had systematically sidelined the two towering leaders from the community, O Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala.

The only Lok Sabha seat that the AIADMK-led NDA had won from Tamil Nadu in the 2019 election was Theni where O. Raveendranathan, son of O Panneerselvam won the seat defeating veteran Congress leader and present Erode East MLA, EVKS Elangovan

With OPS and Sasikala out of the AIADMK, there is a feeling among the Thevar community elders that the community must not throw the weight behind the AIADMK in the next general elections and instead support AMMK, which is a political party totally controlled by the Thevar community.

This thinking on the part of Thevar community has led the AMMK to hold a meeting with the veteran leader, OPS. The meeting is scheduled to be held at Madurai in South Tamil Nadu and will chalk out the finer points of cooperation between OPS and Sasikala and how this could make a big impact in the 2024 general elections.

Sources in the AMMK told IANS that the party is open for discussion with OPS and the presence of such a towering leader in the AMMK would boost its prospects in the entire South Tamil Nadu belt.

There has been a series of meetings between Thevar community elders and OPS as also with TTV Dhinakaran and Sasikala. According to insiders privy to discussions, OPS is likely to cooperate with AMMK during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections which would lead to a major body blow to the prospects of AIADMK in South Tamil Nadu.