Expelled AIADMK leader, 3-time Chief Minister O Panneerselvam joins DMK

Chennai (PTI): Three-time AIADMK Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the party in 2022, on Friday joined the ruling DMK in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Panneerselvam, a trusted confidant of late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, after unsuccessfully struggling for over 3 years to join his parent outfit again, joined the DMK.

OPS joined the DMK along with his supporters.

Tamil Nadu's 234-member Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the Stalin-led alliance is expected to campaign on its "Dravidian Model 2.0" platform. The ruling coalition will face the BJP-AIADMK alliance, which is attempting to revive its base after internal splits.

The election landscape is further set to shift with the political entry of actor-turned-politician Vijay, whose newly launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is poised to turn the contest into a triangular fight.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the DMK secured 133 seats, while its allies collectively pushed the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) tally to 159 seats. The NDA bloc won 75 seats, with the AIADMK emerging as its strongest component with 66 seats.