TVK claims ₹35-crore offer to poach MLAs; three arrested

Allegations of an attempt to topple the Tamil Nadu government through horse-trading have rocked the state’s politics, less than two months after Joseph C Vijay took over as Chief Minister. Three people were arrested on Wednesday as a Tamil TVK minister claimed that offers of up to Rs 50 crore were made by individuals linked to top DMK leaders to persuade TVK legislators to switch sides. Amid the mounting political storm, Chief Minister Vijay convened an urgent meeting of his alliance partners in Chennai, whilst the opposition DMK demanded a formal probe into the claims.

The controversy erupted after TVK MLA N Ilayaraja alleged that he was offered Rs 35 crore to influence his stand during a proposed Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution vote. A man identified as Thirunavukkarasu allegedly contacted the MLA, claiming to represent a political consultancy firm called Indian Political Democratic Strategies, and later offered the cash in exchange for support during the voting process. The MLA rejected the offer and subsequently lodged a police complaint, claiming that he and his family had also faced threats. Based on the complaint, Tamil Nadu Police registered a case and arrested Thirunavukkarasu along with two of his associates, identified as Naresh and Thiyagarajan.

The political row intensified when TVK minister Nirmal Kumar directly accused the opposition DMK of orchestrating the horse-trading attempt. He claimed that senior DMK leader Senthil Balaji had tried to contact several TVK MLAs and offered them money. Kumar further claimed that these efforts were undertaken with the knowledge and approval of DMK president MK Stalin and deputy leader Udhayanidhi Stalin. He alleged that Senthil Balaji had tried contacting almost all of their MLAs over the last 40 days and urged the DMK leadership to halt what he described as a lowly business.

According to police sources, Naresh, one of the accused, was allegedly in direct contact with Senthil Balaji’s brother, Ashok Kumar, to discuss the specific amounts to be offered and which MLAs to target. Investigators added that the accused told MLA Ilayaraja that a no-confidence motion would be brought in the Assembly, offering him the multi-million-pound bribe to vote in a specific manner. Thirunavukkarasu is said to have intimidated the MLA with violence upon himself and his family members not to make any public statement on the issue.

The police are now looking into these associations and probing everyone who was involved in the matter.

On the other hand, the DMK retaliated by filing counter-allegations of bribery and trying to reverse the electoral verdict of the people. The opposition party has submitted formal complaints to the Tamil Nadu Governor and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, seeking the registration of an FIR and a comprehensive probe into alleged attempts by Vijay to induce two DMK MLAs to resign. The DMK also cited recent remarks by MDMK leader Vaiko, who recently snapped ties with the DMK to support TVK, alleging that Vijay had promised financial assistance to contest by-elections if MLAs resigned. Denouncing the alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, and corrupt practices, the DMK called for an impartial investigation.

In response to the crisis, TVK hosted a high-level meeting on Wednesday with its alliance partners—including Congress, VCK, IUML, and MDMK—alongside CPI and CPI(M), which are extending outside support to the Vijay-led government. This marked the first such meeting since TVK assumed power with the backing of parties that had previously won seats as part of the DMK-led alliance. According to the sources familiar with the developments, the talks centered around making sure that the government was stable and lasted for its full term of five years with Chief Minister Vijay himself discussing the critical issues with the leaders of the alliance. The TVK had gained prominence as the largest political party as they won 108 seats in the Assembly elections held on April 23, falling short of the 118 mark.

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