![\"Tamil](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130407817,imgsize-1372370,width-400,height-225,resizemode-72\/long-identified-with-aiadmks-mgr-legacy-and-jayalalithaas-persona-three-time-chief-minister-o-panneerselvam-now-aligns-with-dmks-dravidian-framework-that-emphasizes-social-justice-rationalism-and-development.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nAt Palani Chettipatti, a panchayat town in Theni district, the early morning quiet is broken by drumbeats and the blare of DMK<\/a> propaganda songs. Scores of men and women gather on the main road, holding up posters of chief minister M K Stalin<\/a> and his new party associate O Panneerselvam<\/a>.For Panneerselvam, a three-time chief minister, it was a defiant shift in party allegiance \u2014 one that he took after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami stonewalled his repeated attempts to get back to the party.OPS today steps out to the town centre as DMK\u2019s Bodinayakkanur candidate. He gets out of his car and carefully climbs to a tempo van repurposed as a campaign vehicle. His three-vehicle convoy weaves through a paid yet enthusiastic crowd as he greets them with folded hands. In his pocket, where J Jayallithaa\u2019s photograph once rested, is now a profile of Stalin. The picture on his car dashboard has also flipped. <\/p>\n The convoy passes through the narrow lanes and reaches Vadakku Jayanathapuram Karuppusamy Koil Street where OPS takes to the mic: \u201cStalin will come back as CM. The Dravidian model governance will be back.\u201d There is clapping and cheering. He looks up at the dangerously hanging electric cables \u2014 and promises he would get them reinstalled.\u201cRaise your hands if you will vote for OPS,\u201d says a partyman, holding a public address system. Most people do as directed, and Panneerselvam looks pleased. A local resident, Visithra, 27, lifts her hand and her toddler\u2019s hand too. \u201cTVK has not come campaigning here yet,\u201d she says, adding, \u201cBut I am not sure if my family that traditionally voted for AIADMK will vote for DMK.\u201dPanneerselvam recorded easy victories in Bodi three times as AIADMK candidate since 2011. But this election may not be a cakewalk. AIADMK candidate V T Narayanasamy (AIADMK) is a tough opponent. And OPS\u2019s rivals are accusing him of betraying Amma.Conversations in tea shops and street corners reveal a mix of assurance of victory, skepticism, and cautious optimism. Some voters admire OPS\u2019s past heft and see his move to join DMK as driven by compulsions. Others question whether loyalty to Amma can be so easily set aside.The office in his bungalow in Subburaj Nagar in Bodi sports three big, framed pictures of Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin. A smaller portrait of Jayalalithaa hangs by the side.Panneerselvam\u2019s dramatic change in allegiance marks not just a personal turning point, but a controversial ideological re-positioning. Long identified with AIADMK\u2019s MGR legacy and Jayalalithaa\u2019s persona, Panneerselvam now aligns with DMK\u2019s Dravidian framework that emphasizes social justice, rationalism, and development. \u201cHis switching sides is a result of political necessity,\u201d says Mohammed Ali, a resident on Four Cross Road.Bodinayakkanur has long been an AIADMK bastion. The constituency\u2019s political identity has been shaped by deep-rooted loyalties, particularly among the dominant mukkulathorcommunity, which has historically leaned towards AIADMK. In Tamil Nadu, party affiliations are not merely a matter of strategy; it is intertwined with community and loyalty.For DMK, fielding Panneerselvam in Bodi signals an intent to breach an AIADMK stronghold. His campaign blends personal outreach with narratives of good governance and development under Stalin\u2019s leadership.As Panneerselvam\u2019s convoy plods on, drums continue to beat, songs play on. On OPS\u2019s trail, a fundamental question remains: Can Jayalalithaa\u2019s handpicked man convince his people about his DMK avatar?<\/div>\n![\"When](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-130407832\/when-a-two-leaves-veteran-seeks-a-sunrise-in-bodi-hills.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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