Theni, Tamil Nadu: There’s one poll chatter dominating Bodinayakanur’s market areas, tea stalls, bus stands, college campuses and mountain-adjacent villages: O.Panneerselvam, or OPS as he is popularly called, joining the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ahead of the Tamil Nadu polls.
A familiar face for local residents, OPS has been representing Bodinayakanur since 2011, when he first won the seat on an AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) ticket. This year, he has cast himself in the DMK mould, contesting on the ‘rising sun’ symbol for the elections.
His switch has flipped the political scenario in this southern pocket, compelling AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) to mount a determined fight for holding on to what was once a reliable bastion.
The ground tells a story of merging loyalties, lingering resentments, and everyday concerns of drinking water and unemployment to women’s safety and better hospitals that will decide whether OPS’ personal connect can successfully fuse with DMK’s organisational strength, or if EPS’ candidate V.P.Narayanaswamy can build on the accusations of betrayal against OPS.
Issues like improving drinking water and electricity supply, creating local jobs for youth, upgrading the government hospital, and addressing women’s safety dominate conversations across party lines and both AIADMK and DMK promised welfare.
Voting is scheduled on 23 April to elect 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Dual advantage for OPS
On the ground, there is noticeable optimism for OPS among many voters. They speak of a “dual advantage” courtesy his loyal personal vote bank of nearly 15 years combining with DMK’s traditional support base and the ruling party’s welfare schemes.
Local resident Vignesh points towards the familiar figure of O. Panneerselvam, once the unchallenged face of AIADMK here. “OPS has been here for 15 years and people see him as one of their own, even if he is with any other party or even contests independently,” Vignesh says, as a group of men nod around him at a tea shop.
“If he goes to the DMK, the support of the DMK and the support of his own people will come together. DMK is a big party and they have a lot of support, which makes him a strong candidate,” Iyappan, another resident of Bodinayakanur, says.
Bodinayakanur has long seen battles between the two major Dravidian parties, with the AIADMK dominating due to OPS’ deep local roots and repeated victories. It was this very seat from where AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa had made her debut in the state Assembly in 1989.
In 2016, AIADMK led by OPS secured about 49.4 percent of the votes with the DMK close behind at around 41.6 percent. The AIADMK’s vote share dipped slightly to about 46.6 percent in 2021, while DMK recorded a vote share of roughly 41.5 percent.
Other players, including Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), maintain a presence but are yet to make a decisive mark in this pocket widely known as India’s cardamom capital.
College professor Kondalraj says that the infrastructure development works undertaken by OPS and support extended by him for the locals is his advantage.
“In the local college where I teach, OPS had funded a laboratory worth Rs 20 lakh. They (OPS) have a loyal vote bank and now they have the DMK when his own party didn’t support him,” he tells ThePrint.
And then there are DMK’s welfare measures, including Naan Mudhalvan (a youth skilling and employability programme for school and college students), Pudhumai Penn (a monthly cash assistance scheme of Rs 1,000 for girl students from government schools, extended up to graduation), Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (a monthly Rs 1,000 income‑support scheme for women heads of families), monthly pension (old‑age, widow, and disability pensions under various social‑security schemes) and other schemes, besides the community‑based support OPS himself champions.
Voters are not hesitant to openly express their allegiance, while expecting a solution to a few issues such as water scarcity and employment opportunities.
“The DMK has brought in a lot of schemes that people in small towns like Bodi really find helpful. Moreover, the Mukkulathor community always backed AIADMK because it had the same community leaders, which is not the case now. OPS represents the community so we’ll support him,” Ramachandran says.
“We have certain issues of water scarcity, and the younger generation expects better job opportunities. We feel that we can talk to our MLA requesting the same because he has been approachable for all these years.”
OPS himself expressed confidence of winning, saying that the schemes of the government have reached the public and that the people would cast votes for the welfare they have experienced.
“The welfare schemes and programmes by the DMK government have helped the people of Bodinayakanur and the future is very bright for me. The people are going to vote for us because we have worked hard for these people,” OPS told ThePrint.
Political observers back the view that the loyalty of Bodinayakanur was to the AIADMK of Jayalalithaa and to OPS, who twice gave up his chief minister seat for Amma in 2002 and 2015.
“OPS enjoys the loyalty of his own community even now while the nature of AIADMK has changed after the passing away of Jayalalithaa (in 2016),” political analyst Ravindran Thuraisamy tells ThePrint.
“Now, the Jayalalithaa and two leaves symbol sentiment is not effective anymore, after a few years of internal rifts and EPS taking over the party. When OPS was expelled, he also gained the sympathy of the people for his dedication to the party. The Mukkulathor votes split into three—TTV Dinakaran, Sasikala and OPS but with AIADMK led by a non-Thevar leader, the votes will largely go to OPS.”
Also Read: How women’s safety has become a key flashpoint in this Tamil Nadu election
Has OPS changed?
Despite the optimism, dissatisfaction runs deep on basic issues. Standing near the local market area, Sumathi says that the people of Bodinayakanur were never worried about the quality of water and its sufficiency.
“But the scenario is not the same anymore and people struggle with water scarcity. The medical facilities at the government hospital are inadequate and one has to go to Madurai for specialised care. The neonatal care has to be improved which has remained unchanged for all these years,” Sumathi says.
She highlighted that women’s safety is a major grievance across Tamil Nadu in the DMK rule.
“Wherever we go to work or even basic grocery stores, there are TASMAC shops in almost every nook and corner. It is difficult for us to even go out after 8 pm, and we have to endure all this. There is no safety for women. Jayalalitha’s party was different and something like this would have never happened. We used to see OPS as her aide but now he stands with Stalin, which feels like a betrayal.”
Operating under the state government, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, or TASMAC, controls liquor sales in the southern state.
A section of longstanding AIADMK supporters like Saravanan feels the move to DMK could backfire, alienating core voters who remained loyal for years. Some DMK workers, meanwhile, voice quiet disappointment that a local deserving candidate was overlooked in favour of OPS.
Saravanan feels that OPS has taken the decision in self-interest and lost the support of his long-time loyalists.
“He has become selfish for himself and his son. The people who have trusted him and voted for him for 15 years are not happy with his switch. Young people don’t have a job and are going to Chennai and Tirupur,” the local resident says.
“We expected him to support our livelihood but he has earned the hatred of both the AIADMK and some DMK loyalists who were expecting to get the seat after being with the party all these years.”
EPS camp’s pushback
So, how’s the poll race shaping up in this seat nestled at the base of the Western Ghats? Unlike his rival OPS, EPS is banking on residual AIADMK symbol loyalty, the legacy of late party stalwarts M.G. Ramachandran, or MGR, and Jayalalithaa.
The AIADMK wants to gather the votes based on the loyal vote bank in the name of the party’s own stance. Its candidate V.T. Narayanasamy is projecting himself as a fresh face for change and highlighting issues like unemployment and women’s safety.
Narayanasamy says that there are a lot of people who don’t have a job. “When I went to the election campaign, everyone raised the issue of unemployment. Women safety is becoming a major concern of the people; we cannot let it grow bigger. The anger among the people is clearly seen after he moved to DMK. It will be a plus point for our party and I believe that I will beat OPS with a good vote difference,” he tells ThePrint.
Yet, a relatively new face remains a challenge for the party. “The AIADMK candidate is not well-known so people consider him not as approachable as OPS because the latter has worked for three tenures. This is a disadvantage that the party needs to overcome,” Vignesh, a resident of Bodinayakanur, puts it succinctly.
(Edited by Tony Rai)