Chennai, Oct 3 (IANS): Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) is on a tour across the nine districts of the state where rural local body polls will be held from October 6 to October 9.
The elections are to be held in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Kallakurichi, Tiruppatur, Villupuram, Ranipet, Tirunelveli, and Tenkasi districts of the state.
The former Chief Minister met party cadre and leaders in Vellore, Ranipet, and Tiruppatur on Saturday, and on Sunday he is interacting with the party functionaries and addressing public meetings in South Tamil Nadu including Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts.
While speaking at a public function in Tirunelveli, the former Chief Minister told the cadre that the AIADMK is celebrating the fiftieth year of its formation and that it was the duty of the party cadre and lower-level functionaries to bring victory to the party.
He attacked Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and said that the DMK government had not met any poll promises made in the run-up to the 2021 assembly elections.
OPS also called upon the cadre to work hard to bring victory to the party and not to get demoralized after the defeat in the 2021 assembly polls. He said that even after the party was in power for ten years, the difference of votes between the DMK and the AIADMK in the assembly elections was only one per cent. He said that this was a clear indication that the party did not suffer the ignominy of a crushing defeat in the polls.
On Saturday, the former Chief Minister came out strongly against senior DMK leader and State Water Resources Minister on his statement against MGR at Katpadi in Vellore district. OPS said that MGR was instrumental in making Karunanidhi the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the passing away of C.N. Annadurai. Katpadi is the home turf of Duraimurugan.
With the DMK and AIADMK in a no holds barred fight to win maximum seats in the rural local body elections, senior leaders of both the parties are travelling in all the nine districts to motivate the cadre and to have an interaction with the prominent people in the local areas who are able to swing the votes.