The AIADMK-led front in Tamil Nadu faced a massive drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. But that has not let down the party seniors in the state, as the lone MP seat won by the party from Theni is likely to help the party taste power at the Centre.
The BJP’s thumping victory is a blessing in disguise for a few AIADMK seniors, who want to retain power in the state and have the power at the Centre. According to highly placed sources in the state BJP unit, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s son and the lone AIADMK MP from Tamil Nadu is likely to be included in the Union cabinet. Sources say Panneerselvam has been lobbying for a berth for his son.
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O.P. Raveendranath Kumar, popularly known as OPR among his supporters, during the heat of the campaign in Theni, reportedly promised welfare schemes saying he will be a “minister in the BJP government” if he wins. BJP sources say Panneerselvam, who went to Varanasi when Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination, became confident that his son will be elevated as a minister. In fact, Panneerselvam’s confidence, according to sources in the ruling AIADMK camp, began at the time of merger in August 2017. OPS himself reportedly admitted that the merger happened only on the advise of Narendra Modi. “Modi promised to take care of him whenever needed, he told us at the time of merger, which is why he agreed to be the deputy chief minister,” said a senior AIADMK leader who was part of the OPS camp when the merger happened. AIADMK sources say OPS has pitched for minister of state (MoS) for communications or fertilisers for his son,
However, Panneerselvam’s move to get a berth for his son has upset the already miffed state unit of the BJP. The saffron party, which contested from five constituencies, drew blank, and most of them were senior star candidates from the state unit. Incumbent MP and minister Pon Radhakrishnan lost from his bastion Kanyakumari, while state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan lost to DMK’s Kanimozhi and senior leader H. Raja lost to Karti Chidambaram.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami and OPS have reached Delhi to take part in the NDA meeting, scheduled to happen on Saturday evening. The topic of cabinet berths to the alliance partners is likely to be discussed in the meeting.
According to sources, chances of OPR getting a cabinet berth is high as he is the lone AIADMK MP from Tamil Nadu.
