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O Panneerselvam Faces Name Doppelgangers in Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha Battle

Kalyani Jha
30 Mar, 2024

In a peculiar turn of events ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, finds himself in a unique situation as he contests from the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency. Surprisingly, four other candidates sharing the same name — O Panneerselvam — have also filed nominations, creating a confusing scenario for voters.

Among the candidates with identical names are Ochappan Panneerselvam, Oyya Thevar Panneerselvam, Ocha Thevar Panneerselvam, and Oyyaram Panneerselvam, all of whom submitted their nominations as independent candidates, mirroring the former CM’s move.

The Election Commission’s data indicates that the namesakes filed their nominations shortly after OPS submitted his papers, adding complexity to the electoral landscape. Although the EC’s ‘Know Your Candidate’ app shows rejection status for some of these namesakes, the fear of voter confusion looms large.

The situation has been attributed to political maneuvers, with supporters of OPS alleging it as a ploy by certain factions within the AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami.

To mitigate confusion among voters, only the letter ‘O’ will be prefixed to the candidates’ names on the official list, necessitating reliance on individual photographs and allotted symbols for differentiation.

For OPS, who has been navigating a power struggle within the AIADMK and faced recent legal constraints, the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) adds significance to his independent candidacy. Despite challenges and court rulings, OPS continues to forge ahead in his political journey, forming the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga Cadres Right Retrieval Organisation as part of his political strategy.