O. Panneerselvam

In this Indian name, the name Ottakarathevar is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Panneerselvam.

O. Panneerselvam
Panneerselvam in 2017
5th Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office 14 June 2021 – Incumbent
Leader	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Preceded by	Durai Murugan
Constituency	Bodinayakkanur
In office 29 May 2006 – 14 May 2011
Leader	J. Jayalalithaa
Preceded by	K. A. Sengottaiyan
Succeeded by	Panruti S. Ramachandran
Constituency	Bodinayakkanur
2nd Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office 21 August 2017 – 6 May 2021
Governor	C. Vidyasagar Rao (Addit. charge) Banwarilal Purohit
Chief Minister	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Preceded by	M. K. Stalin
6th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office 6 December 2016 – 15 February 2017
Governor	C. Vidyasagar Rao (Addit. charge)
Preceded by	J. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded by	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
In office 28 September 2014 – 23 May 2015
Governor	Konijeti Rosaiah
Preceded by	J. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded by	J. Jayalalithaa
In office 21 September 2001 – 2 March 2002
Governor	C. Rangarajan (Addit. charge) P. S. Ramamohan Rao
Preceded by	J. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded by	J. Jayalalithaa
Acting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office 12 October 2016 – 5 December 2016
Governor	C. Vidyasagar Rao (Addit. charge)
Chief Minister	J. Jayalalithaa
16th Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office 19 May 2006 – 28 May 2006
Deputy	K. A. Sengottaiyan
Chief Minister	M. Karunanidhi
Preceded by	K. Anbazhagan
Succeeded by	J. Jayalalithaa
Minister of Finance in The Government of Tamil Nadu
In office 21 August 2017 – 6 May 2021
Chief Minister	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Preceded by	D. Jayakumar
Succeeded by	Palanivel Thiagarajan
In office 16 May 2011 – 15 February 2017
Chief Minister	J. Jayalalithaa Himself
Preceded by	K. Anbazhagan
Succeeded by	D. Jayakumar
Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 May 2011
Preceded by	S. Lakshmanan
Constituency	Bodinayakkanur
In office 14 May 2001 – 15 May 2011
Preceded by	L. Mookiah
Succeeded by	A. Laser
Constituency	Periyakulam
Coordinator of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 21 August 2017 – 23 June 2022
Deputy	K. P. Munusamy R. Vaithilingam
Joint Coordinator	Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Treasurer of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 August 2017
Coordinator	Himself
Preceded by	C. Sreenivasan
In office 28 August 2007 – 14 February 2017
General Secretary	J. Jayalalithaa V. K. Sasikala
Preceded by	T. T. V. Dhinakaran
Succeeded by	C. Sreenivasan
Personal details
Born	(1951-01-14) 14 January 1951 Periyakulam, Madras State (present-day Theni District, Tamil Nadu, India)
Political party	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1973–present)
Spouse(s)	P. Vijayalakshmi (dead 2021)
Children	3 including P. Raveendranath Kumar
Parents	Ottakkara Thevar (father) Palaniammal Nachiar (mother)
Residence	Thenpennai 31, Greenways Road, Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (official) 145/70, South Agharaharam, Thenkarai, Periyakulam, Theni District, Tamil Nadu, India (permanent)
Education	B.A.
Alma mater	Hajee Karutha Rowther Howdia College
Awards	International Rising Star of the Year-Asia (2019)
Nickname(s)	O.P.S.,Periyakullathar

Ottakarathevar Panneerselvam Popularly Known as O.P.S.(born 14 January 1951) is an Indian politician who served as the 6th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 3 terms from 2001 -2002 , 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 and the 2nd Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 21 August 2017 to 6 May 2021 , one time served as the acting Chief Minister. He is currently the party Treasurer of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam since 28 August 2007.

He is a senior leader of the AIADMK political party and was a staunch aide of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa. His first two terms as Chief Minister came when he replaced Jayalalithaa in the role, after she was forced to resign by the courts. His third term began following Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's death and ended two months later, Edappadi K. Palaniswami was selected as the Chief Minister. He was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 21 August 2017. He also holds portfolios of Finance, Housing, Rural Housing, Housing Development, Slum Clearance Board and Accommodation Control, Town Planning, Urban Development, and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. On 4 January 2018, O. Panneerselvam elected as Leader of the House in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Personal life

Panneerselvam was born on 14 January 1951 in Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haji Karutha Rowther Howdia College in Uthamapalayam, Theni district. His close friend Salavuddin from Tenali encouraged him into politics. He also owned some agricultural land. He is married to P. Vijayalakshmi and the couple have three children. He is currently elected from the constituency of Bodinayakkanur, in Theni district. His wife died on 1 September 2021 due to a heart attack.

Political career

Early political career

Paneerselvam started his political career periyakulam as a worker of the AIADMK in 1973 after M. G. Ramachandran split from the DMK. He was Chairman of Periyakulam Municipality from 1996 to 2001.

Panneerselvam with Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in 2017

First term as Chief Minister, 2001-2002

He was sworn in as the 6th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in September 2001 when the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was barred from holding office by the Supreme Court of India. During his stint as Chief Minister, he was widely criticised for allegedly heading a puppet government managed by Jayalalithaa. His tenure lasted for six months, from 21 September 2001 to 1 March 2002. In March 2002, he resigned as Chief Minister and Jayalalithaa was sworn in again after the Madras high Court overturned her conviction and she won a by-election from Andipatti assembly constituency. From 2 March 2002 to 13 December 2003, he was the Minister for Public Works, Prohibition and Excise. Subsequently, he was also entrusted with the Revenue department's charge from 13 December 2003 to May 15 2006.

Leader of the Opposition, 2006

After the party lost the assembly elections in May 2006, Panneerselvam was the leader of the AIADMK legislative party and the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for about nine days. In that election, he was elected to be the member of Tamil Nadu legislative assembly from Periyakulam.

First Term as Deputy Leader of Opposition, 2006

After Jayalalithaa, Replaced Panneerselvam And He Sworn As Deputy Leader of Opposition.

Second term as Chief Minister, 2014-2015

In 2011, he contested as an AIADMK candidate from the Bodinayakkanur and won. Again, he became the Minister of Finance in Jayalalithaa's government and held the office from 16 May 2011 to 27 September 2014. He was again entrusted with the responsibility of being Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 29 September 2014 when Jayalalitha was convicted in the disproportionate assets case. On 22 May 2015, he resigned as Chief Minister and Jayalalithaa was sworn in again after the Karnataka High Court acquitted her in the disproportionate assets case on 11 May 2015.

A year after his resignation, on 23 May 2016, he was sworn in as Minister for Finance and Public Works Department in Jayalalithaa's government.

Third term as Chief Minister, 2016-2017

On 6 December 2016, Panneerselvam was elected as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu following the death of incumbent Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. On 10 December he held his first cabinet meeting as a full-term Chief Minister.. He tended his resignation as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 6 February 2017 to the governor, who accepted and appointed him as the caretaker Chief Minister of the state to avoid a leadership vacuum, until further measures could be taken..

On 14 February 2017, he was expelled from the AIADMK by party general-secretary, V. K. Sasikala. Shortly after his expulsion, the Governor invited the newly elected legislative leader of the AIADMK, Edappadi K Palaniswami to form the government, following which he took over as chief minister on 16 February 2017.

First Term as Deputy Chief Minister, 2017-2021

On 21 August 2017, Panneerselvam took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on the same day of the Party Merger with then Chief Minister EPS faction.

Second Term as Deputy Leader of Opposition, 2021

After the party lost the assembly elections in May 2021, Panneerselvam won the Bodinayakkanur constituency and was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly On 14 June 2021.

Leadership Tussle with Edappadi K. Palaniswami

On 14 June 2022, Citing the party's troubles in the polls, AIADMK district secretaries and other senior party members spoke out to shun the “dual leadership” system and came out publicly in favor of strong unitary leader to strengthen the organisation.

Edappadi K. Palaniswami supporters pushed for the change in the party's leadership structure by staging a political coup against AIADMK Coordinator O. Panneerselvam, who had become weak within the party. According to many sources, of the AIADMK’s 75 district secretaries, hardly 10 supported him. Of the party’s 66 MLAs, only five MLAs were reportedly on O. Panneerselvam side and less than 20 percent of the party’s general council members behind him ahead of crucial general council meeting on 23 June 2022, which was expected to elect the single leadership to the party.

On 30 June 2022, Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrote a letter to O. Panneerselvam asserting the latter ceased to be the party coordinator as the amendments made to the party’s bylaw in the 2020 December executive committee meeting were not recognised in the general council meeting held on June 23.

Controversy

A report in The Week magazine on December 2017, alleged that Panneerselvam was on the sand mining baron Sekhar Reddy's payroll. Reddy was arrested by the Income Tax department in March 2017 on money laundering charges. Five pages of the Reddy's Diary suggest alleged payments made to several AIADMK ministers, MLAs, and many others, amounting to more than ₹ 48 crore. At least five payments in which the word 'OPS' or the name of his secretary Ramesh was written are shown in the contents of the diary.

Elections contested

Tamil Nadu Legislative elections

Elections	Constituency	Party	Result	Vote percentage	Opposition Candidate	Opposition Party	Opposition vote percentage
2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election	Periyakulam	AIADMK	Won	54.28	M. Abuthahir	DMK	38.62
2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election	Periyakulam	AIADMK	Won	49.81	L. Mookiah	DMK	39.00
2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election	Bodinayakkanur	AIADMK	Won	56.69	S. Lakshmanan	DMK	38.89
2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election	Bodinayakkanur	AIADMK	Won	49.38	S. Lakshmanan	DMK	41.63
2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election	Bodinayakkanur	AIADMK	Won	46.58	Thanga Tamil Selvan	DMK	41.45

New Party Symbol

After his exit from AIADMK Panneerselvam and his supporters appealed to the election commission to take action against the party General Secretary VKS and chief minister EPS .He also made a point to them that he needs the two leaf party symbol to contest in RK Nagar election. Also, Edappadi K. Palaniswami and supporters appealed against him, but the election commission rejected both the appeals and allotted two different symbols to each party.

In August 2017 Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam Faction merged. He was made Deputy Chief Minister and was also given finance Ministry.

See also

• First Panneerselvam ministry
• Second Panneerselvam ministry
• O. Panneerselvam ministry (2016–17)

References

Political offices
Preceded by J. Jayalalithaa	Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu First tenure 2001–2002	Succeeded by J. Jayalalithaa
	Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Second tenure 2014–2015
	Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Third tenure 6 December 2016 – 16 February 2017	Succeeded by Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Preceded by M. K. Stalin	Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 21 August 2017 — 6 May 2021	Succeeded by Vacant