Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) held a crucial 20-minute meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, marking a significant new development in the state’s fast-shifting political landscape ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
The closed-door discussion has triggered strong speculation about Panneerselvam’s next political move, especially after his recent exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
OPS was part of the NDA during the 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, the BJP’s renewed alliance with the AIADMK for the 2026 Assembly polls upset equations within the coalition.
Friction reportedly grew over OPS’ dissatisfaction with the BJP-AIADMK partnership, and also after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu but did not meet him despite a prior request.
These factors ultimately led OPS to announce his withdrawal from the NDA. Multiple attempts by senior BJP leaders, including K. Annamalai, Tamil Nadu unit chief Nainar Nagendran, to persuade OPS to reconsider his decision reportedly failed.
With negotiations reaching a dead end, OPS sharpened his political messaging at the AIADMK General Council (Claim Restoration Committee) meeting held in Vepery on November 24.
Addressing supporters, he declared that he would make an “important announcement” on December 15 — widely expected to outline his political future or the next phase of his fight for the AIADMK’s leadership and symbol.
Amid this backdrop, OPS travelled to Delhi along with his son, following what sources describe as an invitation from the BJP’s central leadership. His meeting with Amit Shah is being viewed as a renewed attempt by the BJP to keep channels open with the influential Thevar leader, whose support base remains significant in several southern districts.
OPS is currently camping in Delhi and, according to sources, plans to meet more BJP national leaders in the coming days. Only after a full round of consultations will he announce his final stand, his camp has indicated.
The meeting has fuelled intense speculation: Is the BJP trying to bring OPS back into the NDA fold despite the renewed alliance with the AIADMK? Could there be a broader realignment in the making? Or is OPS negotiating political space for himself in the fast-evolving scenario? For now, OPS remains non-committal in public, but the Delhi discussions suggest that the coming weeks could reshape alliances once again in Tamil Nadu’s already complex political theatre.
(IANS)
