LS Polls: Panneerselvam, Dhinakaran Hold Seat-Sharing Talks With BJP

Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran held late night seat-sharing talks with the BJP here for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with OPS insisting that his candidates will contest from the Two Leaves symbol.

The former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) exuded confidence that the popular Two Leaves symbol of the AIADMK would be allotted to him by the EC.

The talks that started late on Tuesday extended to the early hours of Wednesday. OPS and Dhinakaran, who had announced joining the BJP-led NDA two days ago, were in discussion with a delegation of the saffron party comprising Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and its Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai among others.

Speaking to reporters later, OPS, as Panneerselvam is addressed, said the NDA coalition was a "mega alliance" and there were chances that "2-3 people (parties)" could seek the same constituency.

An amicable decision will be arrived at after talks, he said. Asked if he would 'claim' the Two Leaves symbol, he said "certainly."

"We will seek Two Leaves (apparently from the EC), we will get it and we will contest only from that symbol," he said.

OPS's statement comes a day after a man from Dindigul in the state, claiming to be an AIADMK member, has reportedly approached the EC against the earlier allotment of the Two Leaves to the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led AIADMK and had sought its freezing citing a pending case on the matter.

Panneerselvam and his supporters were expelled by a General Council of the AIADMK in July 2022 and Palaniswami was later elected to the top post of General Secretary.

Dhinakaran, who won as an independent on a Pressure Cooker symbol in the 2017 bypoll to RK Nagar assembly constituency in the city, said he would prefer the symbol in the coming elections too.

There was "no pressure to contest from a particular symbol," he said.