Chennai, Apr 5 (IANS): The AIADMK faction, owing allegiance to party Chief coordinator and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), is conducting meetings across south Tamil Nadu to drum up support for the reentry of expelled interim General Secretary V.K.Sasikala.

Sasikala is in political wilderness ever since she was released from the Bengaluru central prison in 2021. South Tamil Nadu's powerful Thevar community, to which both Sasikala and Panneerselvam belong, is seen as keen on her re-entry into the party fold.

While OPS is not directly participating in the meetings, his supporters are conducting meetings across the region.

The meetings to garner support to Sasikala were, according to party sources, held on March 30, 31 and April 1 and 2 at Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Virudhanagar, Theni , Dindigul and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu.

Talking to IANS, Dr. R. Padmanaban, Director, Socio Economic Development Foundation, said: "The Thevar community is a powerful social entity in south Tamil Nadu and the results of the successive elections have proved that AIADMK had lost heavily in its bastion of south Tamil Nadu as the powerful community wanted to teach the party a lesson."

Sasikala has always been supportive to all the needs of the Thevar community even in her heydays as a powerful aide of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

It is to be seen in the coming days as to how the other faction of the AIADMK led by former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami respond to these meetings which were held secretly. The Palaniswami faction is now powerful in the AIADMK but with the necessary support from Thevar community and south Tamil Nadu, OPs can bounce back.