New Delhi: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, running as an independent candidate from Ramanathapuram constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, finds himself in a unique situation as he faces competition from a younger namesake, who too has filed his nomination for the polls from the same constituency as a standalone candidate.
Both individuals share the same name, O Panneerselvam, but hail from different backgrounds.
Panneerselvam, who heads the AIADMK Workers Retrieval Organisation and is engaged in a legal battle against his expulsion from the party, has formed an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls. With his legal options only strengthening his erstwhile colleague's case, O Panneerselvam now banks heavily on the BJP to bail him out of the political quagmire.
His opponent resides in Usilampatti taluk in the Madurai district and has filed his nomination as an independent candidate from the same Ramanathapuram constituency.
In his power tussle against AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, and his supporters were expelled by a party general council in July 2022 and the courts have also upheld the decision. Recently, the Madras High Court restrained him from using the party's symbol Two Leaves, the official flag, and letterhead.
He was allotted one seat by the BJP during the seat-sharing agreement, the same number that was apportioned to fringe outfits like the New Justice Party, Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, Indhiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam, and Tamil Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. These four parties will contest on the BJP's Lotus symbol in the April 19 election.