Tamil Nadu Political Shift: AIADMK Lawmaker Manoj Pandian Joins DMK, Accuses EPS of Being 'BJP Proxy'

Chennai:

A significant political realignment occurred in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday when six-term MLA Manoj Pandian, a prominent member of the influential Nadar community, defected from the AIADMK to join the ruling DMK. The transition ceremony took place in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, marking a noteworthy development in the ongoing power struggle within Tamil Nadu's main opposition party.

While joining the DMK, Pandian launched a scathing critique of AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), accusing him of subordinating the party to the BJP. "Only DMK can safeguard Dravidian ideology. The AIADMK has become a wing of the BJP. MGR (founder MG Ramachandran) and J Jayalalitha (an iconic ex-Chief Minister) never mortgaged the party," Pandian declared.

Manoj Pandian comes from a politically significant family, being the son of veteran Tamil politician and former Speaker PH Pandian, who had aligned with O Panneerselvam (OPS) following Jayalalithaa's death in 2016. Maintaining family allegiance, Manoj had remained loyal to OPS despite being an AIADMK legislator.

The leadership contest between EPS and OPS that emerged after Jayalalithaa's passing ultimately resulted in Palaniswami's victory, with Panneerselvam being expelled from the party, leaving EPS in complete control. This longstanding division appears to be resurfacing.

Recently, senior AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan had advocated for the reinstatement of OPS, Jayalalithaa's confidante VK Sasikala, and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran. Despite meeting with these figures and arguing that only a unified AIADMK could challenge the ruling DMK-Congress alliance, Sengottaiyan found himself expelled from the party on Monday.

Expectations that Pandian would follow his family's political alignment and join OPS's faction—potentially bringing with him the crucial Nadar community votes that constitute approximately 12 percent of Tamil Nadu's population—were dashed by his decision to join the DMK. OPS has not yet issued any statement regarding this development.

A high-ranking AIADMK official briefly commented on Manoj Pandian's departure, suggesting collusion between OPS and the DMK to fragment the opposition party's vote base. "We have always said OPS is the DMK's 'B-team'... and this proves it," the official told NDTV.

Pandian's switch to the DMK is particularly noteworthy given his family's strong emotional ties to the AIADMK under Jayalalithaa's leadership. Both father and son enjoyed considerable trust from the former Chief Minister. Beyond serving as Assembly Speaker, PH Pandian was elected four times as MLA from Cheranmadevi, an AIADMK stronghold, from 1977 until constituency boundaries were redrawn in 2008. He also represented Tirunelveli district in Parliament.

The Pandian family's connections to the AIADMK extended further, with Manoj's mother, Cynthia Pandian, having been appointed Vice-Chancellor of a state university, and his brother Arvindh Pandian serving as Additional Advocate General during the party's governance.