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TVK in talks with TTV, OPS even as AIADMK softens stance against them
Ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in the state, former minister Sengottaiyan said talks are underway with both O Panneerselvam (OPS) and TTV Dhinakaran
Former AIADMK minister KA Sengottaiyan who recently joined Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), said that talks are underway with both O Panneerselvam (OPS) and TTV Dhinakaran who walked out of the NDA earlier this year.
Meanwhile AIADMK leaders are softening their stance against OPS and Dhinakaran after BJP’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Piyush Goyal held a first round of talks with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) for seat sharing. The BJP wants to unite various factions of the AIADMK while EPS has refused to take them back into the party but is willing to accommodate them as allies of the NDA.
However, the Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), OPS’ camp has also announced that they won’t accept EPS as the chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly elections.
In a meeting that OPS held with his supporters (they call themselves the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Workers’ Rights Retrieval Kazhagam) on Tuesday, their options were to either join the arch rival and ruling DMK or TVK. Sengottaiyan who was also expelled from the AIADMK for urging EPS to bring back OPS, Dhinkaran and his aunt V K Sasikala has now confirmed that TVK is in talks with former AIADMK leaders. Sengottaiyan is now the chief coordinator of TVK. “Yes, we are speaking to them and hopefully they make a decision soon,” Sengottaiyan said on Thursday.
A day ago, Dhinakaran dismissed rumours of the AIADMK willing to allot six seats to AMMK should they come into the NDA’s fold. said that important political parties were in alliance talks with him.
“What is important is whom we are ready to accept,” Dhinakaran said, as he previously refused to come back to the NDA because of EPS. “The AMMK is strong in many districts,” said Dhinakaran, though they did not win any seats in the previous 2021 assembly elections.
Meanwhile a leader in the OPS camp on condition of anonymity said, “Joining TVK will not erode our allegiance to the AIADMK so most of us are leaning towards that.”
The AIADMK has softened its stance towards the expelled leaders even publicly opening up a possibility for rapprochement. “EPS is unlikely to take them back into the party but we have no problem if OPS and TTV join as allies in the NDA,” said a senior AIADMK leader close to EPS.
