Chennai:, Nov. 8 -- Amid the power struggle to unite all factions of the AIADMK, legislator and O Panneerselvam(OPS) loyalist Manoj Pandian moving to arch rival DMK is triggering more former AIADMK members in the OPS camp to cross over ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, people familiar with the development said.

A senior leader in the OPS camp said that given his weakening position and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami's (EPS) reluctance to take them back, some of them are considering joining the rival party as their only way to survive politically.

Pandian, was the third former AIADMK leader, to jump ship to the DMK after the party's Muslim face Anwar Raajaa and another former MP V Maitreyan who blamed the EPS-leadership...