In the shifting sands of Tamil Nadu politics, where alliances often fracture and re-form abruptly, a new axis is quietly taking shape. Over the past few weeks, actor Vijay’s political outfit Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has begun drawing into its orbit two of the state’s most cornered political figures: former CM O Panneerselvam and T T V Dhinakaran of the Amma Makkal Munneetra Kazhagam (AMMK).If the two former AIADMK leaders join the TVK, it will mark the most significant consolidation yet around it and take it from a fledgling political experiment to a serious political player ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The talks, confirmed by multiple senior leaders in the TVK and the AMMK, comes weeks after the TVK brought on board former AIADMK leader K A Sengottaiyan, one of the first big names to have joined it.AdvertisementAccording to senior functionaries in both parties, the talks are at an advanced stage. “There is clarity on the direction,” a senior TVK leader said, adding that the party sees “enormous political value” in bringing both leaders into the fold. “They bring not just experience, but a ready social base.”That base is crucial. Both Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, and Dhinakaran command influence in the Thevar community, a powerful Other Backward Class (OBC) group in the southern and Delta regions. Their potential entry into the TVK would give Vijay’s party immediate organisational depth in districts such as Theni, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, and parts of the Cauvery delta.For both men, the move is also the result of diminishing options elsewhere.AdvertisementDhinakaran, whose AMMK once split the AIADMK vote decisively, has found himself politically cornered. He has ruled out aligning with the BJP-led NDA so long as Edappadi K Palaniswami remains its chief ministerial face. Panneerselvam, meanwhile, has been left without a party structure of his own after his expulsion from the AIADMK and the gradual withdrawal of support by the BJP and RSS, which had earlier encouraged his revolt against former CM Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala, Dhinakaran, and then Palaniswami.According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Panneerselvam explored two options: DMK and TVK. The former appears to have quietly closed its doors. “The DMK cannot afford to accommodate them,” a senior DMK functionary said, citing seat-sharing arithmetic and the risk of internal discontent. Dhinakaran is learnt to have sought at least 20 seats, a demand the DMK cannot meet.That left the two with only the TVK. The party, founded only months ago, has so far relied more on symbolism and popular appeal than organisational depth. But insiders claimed it was now changing. “We do not want to miss this opportunity. Dhinakaran and OPS joining gives us credibility, experience, and a clear expansion in the south,” said a senior TVK leader.Likely implications for AIADMK, BJPThe implications for the AIADMK-led NDA are significant. With the AIADMK leadership under Palaniswami firmly shutting the door on accommodating its former rivals, the alliance risks losing out on the advantages that a broad anti-DMK front would have provided. The BJP tried to push for one and even attempted to broker a reconciliation between Dhiankaran, Pannerselvam, and the AIADMK, but those efforts did not succeed. “We cannot treat rebels as equals,” said a senior AIADMK leader.This has left the BJP in an awkward position. While it continues to speak of an “umbrella alliance”, its room for manoeuvre is narrowing. Party sources said even if OPS and Dhinakaran were brought back, their electoral value would be limited without the AIADMK cadre base. “They cannot win on their own and they know it,” said a BJP functionary.The vacuum has worked to the TVK’s advantage. Sengottaiyan has publicly acknowledged talks with OPS and Dhinakaran, describing them as “positive” and suggesting clarity would emerge soon. He has also been categorical that the TVK’s ideological opposition remains directed at the BJP, even as it seeks to broaden its social coalition.This positioning as an anti-BJP force and yet distinct from the DMK has allowed the TVK to project itself as an emerging force in Tamil Nadu politics. For Vijay, whose political appeal rests heavily on symbolism and youth support, the addition of seasoned leaders offers organisational ballast and access to entrenched vote banks, particularly among the Mukulathor and Thevar communities.The DMK, meanwhile, is keeping an eye on the developments but believes there is no cause for any alarm. While the ruling party does not stand to gain directly from the realignment, it is acutely aware that a strengthened TVK could complicate electoral arithmetic in southern districts, where multi-cornered contests have historically altered outcomes.most readIn the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, for instance, the DMK-led alliance swept the state not merely because of a surge in its own vote share, but because opposition votes were splintered among the AIADMK, BJP and smaller regional players. Similar patterns were visible in several southern districts – including Theni, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar – where divided opposition votes enabled comfortable DMK victories despite the presence of strong local satraps and caste-based mobilisation.A three-cornered contest in 2026 – between the DMK-led alliance, an AIADMK–NDA bloc, and a TVK-led front drawing support from OPS and TTV’s Thevar base – could once again tilt the balance in favour of the ruling party.Crucially, the DMK’s own alliance structure remains largely intact since 2019, with no partner defecting so far. In contrast, both the AIADMK and the emerging TVK formation risk cutting into the same anti-DMK voter pool, especially in the south and parts of the Cauvery delta. In such a scenario, even a modest consolidation of votes behind TVK could fragment the opposition further, indirectly strengthening the DMK’s position despite any undercurrents of anti-incumbency. “This is not about who gains today, but about how the field is being redrawn,” said a DMK leader.