OPS to stake claim for AIADMK's symbol again after almost sealing alliance with BJP in TN

Chennai, March 13 (IANS) Expelled AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Panneerselvam (OPS), will be staking claim again for the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol of the party, sources said on Wednesday.

After the expulsion of OPS and his close associates from the AIADMK, the party is in total control of the Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS).

While several court cases against the expulsion of OPS were dismissed, there are still some court cases pending for the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had recently sent a notice to EPS asking him to reply to a petition filed by one Suriyamoorthy to freeze the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, as many civil suits were pending in courts.

If the symbol is frozen, it would be a major setback to the EPS faction which is desperately trying to win the maximum possible seats.

It may be recalled that OPS has conducted two rounds of discussions with the BJP leadership, which includes the representatives of the BJP national leadership, Union ministers, VK Singh and G Kishan Reddy.

According to sources, OPS has requested the BJP leadership to allocate his side 15 Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat.

As the BJP is keen to get support from a local Dravidian outfit, the support extended by OPS has become a boon for it, as the Thevar community to which OPS belongs, is powerful in many pockets of South Tamil Nadu.

With the BJP’s new-found support, OPS has exuded confidence of his faction getting the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol and the possibility of winning the maximum seats from the state.