The last few years have been trying for former AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam (OPS). He lost out on the AIADMK leadership battle to Edappadi Palaniswami, didn’t succeed in the court cases and is now fighting in the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Ramanathapuram. However, he has joined hands with BJP and it is clear that OPS is the face of the NDA there. Now, there is another uphill battle for him as he is up against not one but four other candidates who are all named OPS.
The four OPS-named candidates are also fighting the elections as independent candidates and hail from the surrounding local areas. While one of them is a resident of Usilampatii, another is from Kattur, and two are from Madurai. There is a debate in political circles as to whether this was deliberately done by the AIADMK or the DMK while both these parties themselves are pointing fingers at each other. Meanwhile, this news has gone viral on social media and has become a talking point for the people. Many are wondering if this is a conspiracy to ensure that OPS loses at the elections while others are finding it comical.
An election official told The Indian Express, ““This candidate, 61, is the son of Otchathevar; while the name of the ex-CM’s father is Ottakarathevar. The name Panneerselvam is common in Tamil, but a name starting with ‘O’ is rare. The other Panneerselvams are the sons of Otchappan, Oyyaram and Oyyathevar, respectively.”
The ‘clone wars’, as it is being called on social media, will unfold on April 19 when the people go to cast their vote in Tamil Nadu.