Tamil Nadu TVK MLA bribery scandal escalates as eight arrested in Rs 35‑50 crore horse‑trading case
TVK legislator N. Elaiyaraja claimed he received a phone call offering up to Rs 35 crore to vote for a no‑confidence motion against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The allegation sparked a police investigation that led to the arrest of three men—pollster Thirunavukkarasu and associates Naresh and Thiyagarajan—on July 1. A further five suspects (Selvan, Srinivasan, Rajesh, Karthang, and Ramesh) were detained on July 3, bringing the total to eight.
Investigators say the suspects were linked to DMK leader V. Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar, who allegedly directed the bribery scheme. TVK has accused the DMK of a horse‑trading operation aimed at toppling the Vijay‑led government, while the DMK denies any involvement and counters that TVK is making false claims. Energy and Law Minister P. Nirmal Kumar publicly blamed the DMK for trying to destabilise the state administration. The newly formed TVK government, headed by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay after the party won 108 seats in the 2026 Assembly election, says the case threatens its stability. Police continue to probe the network of communications and financial offers.