Tirupati

Former O. Panneerselvam visited the revered Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Tirupati on Monday, where he offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara.

The visit comes weeks after Panneerselvam, once a prominent leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, formally joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in February. He was inducted into the party in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in Chennai. His son, P. Ravindhranath Kumar, also joined the DMK alongside him.

Panneerselvam’s switch followed his expulsion from the AIADMK in 2022 after a prolonged leadership struggle with party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

With Tamil Nadu set to go to the polls later this year, the ruling DMK, led by Stalin, is preparing to campaign on its governance plank, often described as the “Dravidian Model 2.0,” while facing a challenge from the BJP-AIADMK alliance.

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In recent weeks, Stalin has publicly welcomed Panneerselvam into the party fold, praising his loyalty while taking a swipe at Palaniswami for aligning with the BJP. The induction of Panneerselvam and his supporters is being seen as a strategic move by the DMK ahead of the high-stakes Assembly elections.