Both O Panneerselvam and Thanga Tamilselvan have had the confidence of late J Jayalalithaa, though they never saw eye-to-eye on most occasions despite being in the same party, AIADMK.
Their rivalry is legendary by now, but this is the first time that they will fight it out in the open.
Thanga Tamilselvan, who was MLA of Andipatti the constituency represented by the late matinee idol and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa, is now the DMK nominee taking OPS head on in his pocket borough of Bodinayakanur, a town bordering Kerala.
The electoral contest in Bodinayakanur in the picturesque Theni district that lies at the foot of the Western Ghats, is not just for votes but to gain supremacy in the region.
Though OPS is popular in the constituency and many take pride in the seat being represented by one of the top brass of the AIADMK government, this will be one of the toughest battles for the deputy chief minister, who is already side lined in his own party. This election is very crucial for OPS' political future and he is not taking any chances this time around.
Both OPS and Tamilselvan do not belong to the constituency, though the former has represented this segment in the Assembly since 2011. Besides the two, AMMK led by T T V Dhinakaran has fielded M Muthusamy, and NTK's M Prem Chander and MNM's P Ganesh Kumar are also in the fray.
OPS, Tamilselvan, and Muthusamy belong to Mukulathors, and all three are pinning hopes on their community votes. It remains to be seen how much votes Muthusamy can take away from AIADMK – the AMMK's nominee in 2019 Lok Sabha polls had scored 21,041 votes here.
There is goodwill for the deputy chief minister in the constituency as people recall his “achievements” like bringing engineering, and law colleges, laying roads now and then, and ensuring people's needs are met. However, some feel the constituency has seen “little development” in the past 10 years despite attaining “star status” due to its VVIP MLA, and complain about “lack of jobs.”
“What will people do with an engineering college if they do not have jobs? Being a deputy CM, he could have done a lot. We do not have proper drainage facilities and our drinking water needs haven't been met completely,” Rajan, an autorickshaw driver, told DH. For Tamilselvan, his hopping from one party to the other might come as a problem as some feel he cannot be “trusted any more.”
The challenge for OPS not just comes from Tamilselvan, who is popular in the district thanks to his association with Jayalalithaa, but due to some of the decisions of his government and the Centre.
One of the sub-sects of his Mukulathor community, Piramalai Kallars, is upset over the 10.5 percent internal reservation for Vanniyars within the Most Backward Classes (MBC) quota. Also, dominant castes are disturbed with the Centre's decision to group seven sub-sects under the name Devendrakula Velalars.
“Piramalai Kallars who come under MBC will be affected due to the 10.5 internal reservations for Vanniyars. We are now left with just 7 percent within the quota. OPS did not object to this. The community will get affected due to this injustice. Also, those from pillai castes are upset with seven sub-sects getting the Velalar tag. These two will affect his prospects,” Arumugam, who runs a tea shop, said.
Outside a temple near the local DMK office, Kumaresan said OPS cannot be dismissed in Bodinayakanur. “He is very powerful, and he is liked by people. He has done enough for the people by bringing educational institutions. But there will be complaints too. However, to say he has ignored the constituency is wrong,” he said.
And Tamilselvan is a formidable candidate. He is not just a deft organiser but is also credited with having his ears to the ground. After Jayalalithaa's death, he sided with T T V Dhinakaran but sought refuge in the DMK after falling out with the AIADMK rebel.
His campaign is centred around OPS' “ill-gotten” wealth and ignoring the constituency in his two term as MLA. “What has he done? Wherever I go people only complain about bad roads and shortage of water. OPS was focussing only on increasing the wealth of his family and not the overall development of his seat,” he asked.
Besides a split in the traditional AIADMK votes, Tamilselvan is hoping on the DMK's strength to take sweet revenge on his former inter-party rival.
Bodinayakanur Assembly Constituency
2016 winner: O Pannerselvam (AIADMK)
Runner-up: S Lakshmanan (DMK)
Margin: 15,608 votes
2021 candidates
O Panneerselvam (AIADMK)
Thanga Tamilselvan (DMK)
M Muthusamy (AMMK)
M Prem Chander (NTK)
P Ganesh Kumar (MNM)
Electorate (2021) 2,77,964 votes