Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha seat: NDA's independent candidate O Panneerselvam trails

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) was trailing from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram seat with 1,53,560 votes. He was contesting as an independent candidate with support from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

This election was important for OPS to keep up his series of wins and show his political power after being kicked out of the AIADMK.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) candidate K Navaskani was leading in the seat with 2,35,357.

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Initially, the BJP thought about having PM Modi run for the seat, but OPS decided to run instead.

During Annamalai's campaign for OPS, he mentioned that Panneerselvam was joining the race instead of PM Modi, who couldn't run from that area. OPS is up against IUML candidate K. Navas Kani from the DMK alliance and AIADMK candidate P. Jeyaperumal.

He was competing against Nawaz Kani, the current MP from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of the DMK-led group, P Jeyaperumal from AIADMK, and Chandraprabha from NTK. OPS had to deal with some independent candidates with similar names, believed to be set up by his opponents. This led the BJP-backed OPS campaign to work harder to promote his 'jackfruit' symbol.

Panneerselvam won with strong backing from the Thevar community, especially in areas like Kamuthi, Sayalkudi, and Thiruvadanai. He also managed to attract support from the Devenrakula Vellalars, who are traditionally rivals of the Mukkulathors. John Pandian, founder of the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, worked hard to sway votes from this community, despite AIADMK's support from Puthiya Tamizhagam led by K Krishnasamy. Additionally, BJP members and Dinakaran supporters campaigned vigorously for Paneerselvam, boosting his victory with his jackfruit symbol.

The constituency covers parts of Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, and Virudhunagar districts. About a quarter of its population are minorities, including 19 percent Muslims. The rest, around 75 percent, come from various castes like the Mukulathors, which includes Kallars, Maravars, and Agamudaiyars, as well as Dalits, Yadavas, and Mutharaiyars.