Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) expressed the desire of true AIADMK cadres for a merger of all factions, stating that the fate of the party would be determined in the coming days. OPS made these comments after filing an election petition challenging the Parliamentary victory of Navas Kani from the Ramanathapuram constituency.
On Thursday, OPS, accompanied by his supporters, visited the Madras High Court to file the petition against Navas Kani, who contested for the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in the 2024 elections. OPS, who ran as an independent candidate, lost to Navas Kani by a significant margin of 1.66 lakh votes. Raising suspicions about his electoral defeat, OPS filed the petition to challenge the results.
Addressing the media after filing the petition, OPS extended his best wishes to VK Sasikala for her political tour across Tamil Nadu. He emphasized that the division of AIADMK into several factions was detrimental to the democratic forces in the state.
In a similar vein, Nainar Nagendran, who contested for the BJP from the Thirunelveli Parliamentary constituency, also filed an election petition on Thursday, challenging the victory of Congress candidate Robert Bruce.
Additionally, Vijayaprabhakaran, the son of the late DMDK leader Vijayakanth, filed an election petition against Congress candidate Manickam Tagore. Both candidates had contested in the Virudhunagar Parliamentary election. Despite a close contest on the result day, Manickam Tagore emerged victorious by a thin margin.