BJP reaches out to OPS amid NDA tensions in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Aug 10 (IANS) In a fresh twist to the political realignments in Tamil Nadu, the BJP’s state leadership has reached out to expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (OPS), urging him to meet the party’s national general secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh, who is scheduled to visit Chennai on Sunday.

According to sources, the BJP high command was reportedly unhappy with the manner in which recent developments unfolded, given the political stakes involved in retaining the support of the influential Thevar community.

The community has a significant presence in at least 40 Assembly constituencies in the southern districts, making OPS’s role crucial in the NDA’s electoral calculations.

The BJP’s strategy became clearer when it appointed Nainar Nagendran as the state unit president, a move seen as an attempt to tap into the Thevar vote bank. Party insiders believe AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) lacks strong appeal among the community, while the DMK has also faced challenges in consolidating its support.

The meeting with Santhosh -- considered the BJP’s key troubleshooter in southern India and a close confidant of Union Home Minister Amit Shah -- comes after OPS publicly expressed his displeasure over being denied meetings with HM Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their recent visits to Tamil Nadu.

While OPS did not name Nagendran directly, his remarks about repeated but unsuccessful attempts to contact the state BJP chief were seen as a clear signal of long-standing tensions between the two leaders.

Political observers note that the rivalry between OPS and Nagendran stretches back decades. During his tenure, Nagendran’s predecessor, K. Annamalai, had extended support to OPS, often clashing with EPS in the process.

However, the dynamics shifted after the recent leadership change in the state BJP and the NDA’s political recalibration in Tamil Nadu.

For the BJP high command, the choice appears pragmatic. EPS’s AIADMK commands a robust 21.4 per cent vote share, while OPS’s splinter faction -- the AIADMK Cadres’ Rights Retrieval Committee -- has failed to gain momentum, registering only around 1 per cent of the vote share.

With the 2026 Assembly elections on the horizon, the BJP is weighing its options carefully, seeking to balance its alliance priorities while preventing any fragmentation of its southern vote base.

--IANS

aal/dpb