Former Tamil Nadu CM Panneerselvam likely to join DMK today

Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam is likely to join Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) on Friday ahead of the forthcoming Tamil Nadu elections, according to ANI.

This move follows recent praise by the OPS camp for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and predictions related to return of DMK government in the state.

According to reports, DMK may give him a seat, probably Bodinayakkanur in Theni, which he won in 2021, to contest in the coming assembly election.

Earlier on Friday, Tamil Nadu MLA P Ayyappan, who is seen as part of former CM O Paneerselvam's camp, expressed his desire to see  Stalin lead the state again following the next assembly polls.

MDMK chief Vaiko, an ally of the ruling DMK, on Saturday claimed that expelled AIADMK leader Panneerselvam gave the signal to join the DMK alliance.

This was evident in his meeting with Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai on February 20, Vaiko said.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.

In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively. While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats.