Newsmaker | OPS: Jaya’s stop-gap CM, party’s go-to man ousted from ADMK kicking and screaming
Simmering for long, the latest crisis in the AIADMK started bubbling last month after the E Palaniswami or EPS faction proposed that the party go back to a single-leader system to check its successive poll debacles since 2019.
AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam along with his supporters at his party headquarters, in Chennai. (PTI)
Till the end, O Panneerselvam or OPS kept fighting, in the party and outside it, from the High Court to the Supreme Court. On Monday, the 71-year-old seemed to have finally hit a dead end, after being expelled from the AIADMK along with his aides.
Simmering for long, the latest crisis in the AIADMK started bubbling last month after the E Palaniswami or EPS faction proposed that the party go back to a single-leader system to check its successive poll debacles since 2019. The current system, with OPS as coordinator and EPS as joint coordinator, had been introduced in 2017 to end disputes arising after Jayalalithaa’s death.
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At the time, OPS had only 11 MLAs but was propped up by the BJP, which nosed its way into a party still reeling from Jayalalithaa’s death, and helped him secure the post of coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister through “mediation and mentoring”.
Having secured chief ministership, EPS went from strength to strength, won the party to his side and managed to keep Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s confidante, at bay. He also built his reputation as a capable CM and administrator.
OPS, in contrast, could never shake off his association with the BJP, which hurt him as public sentiment turned against an overbearing Centre led by the BJP. He was also seen as close to RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, and later Sasikala.
Gurumurthy once claimed that it was on his advice that OPS initially rebelled against Sasikala, and that he had also told OPS to visit Jayalalithaa’s samadhi for “inspiration”.
Now though, OPS stands alone, with BJP leaders admitting that there are no channels open for him to join them. Sasikala, who used to wield considerable clout within the AIADMK, has also refused to take sides. Aides say she is unsure of entering a bruising battle to capture the AIADMK, particularly when EPS seems to have full control over it.
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“Neither is OPS leader material who can launch a new party, nor does he command respect or has bargaining powers with anyone,” a former AIADMK MP said, while listing his “squandered” qualities like being soft-spoken, humble and polite.
It were these attributes that once fuelled OPS’s rise in the party. He first came into the AIADMK limelight through his association with the Sasikala family. In the 1990s, OPS got to know them when Sasikala’s nephew T T V Dhinakaran contested from Periyakulam, OPS’s native town where he was the municipal chairman.
In 2001, by when OPS was an MLA, Jayalalithaa picked him out of the blue to warm her chair as she stepped down as CM in wake of the TANSI case. It was OPS again who was her choice in 2014 after conviction in the disproportionate assets case. Jayalalithaa complimented him at the time calling him a “unique breed in politics” for returning the baton always without a fight.
OPS humbly responded that he considered opportunities such as becoming CM “bonuses” in his life.
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OPS was in the chair when Jayalalithaa died in December 2016 following a long hospitalisation. His rebellion against Sasikala, then interim general secretary, cost him his post. Sasikala replaced him with another loyalist, EPS.
Chosen as CM, EPS proved a dark horse, bettering OPS when it came to handling the party, mobilising resources during rallies, and fighting elections.
Underlining the difference between OPS and EPS, a leader said: “EPS is not subservient. Unlike OPS, he talks to the BJP, doesn’t go to them for ‘advice’.”
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
