TVK,DMK trade horse trading charges. Rs35 crore claim, 3 held

In Tamil Nadu, a deep rooted political conspiracy has been unearth to topple the Vijay led TVK government. The State Police arrested 3 people over an alleged horse-trading bid aimed at destabilising Vijay-led government. The action followed allegations by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA N Ilaiyaraja, who claimed he was offered Rs 35 crore to influence his vote on a proposed assembly resolution against the House Speaker. The plot allegedly involved engineering the simultaneous resignation of 15 TVK MLAs to bring down the government.
The investigation has also named former DMK minister V Senthil Balaji and his brother, V Ashok Kumar, as allegedly being linked to the conspiracy, according to a police press release issued on Wednesday. The police  arrested an employee of a consultancy firm. During the investigation, officials reportedly traced links to DMK MLA Senthil Balaji. Two more persons have since been arrested and are being questioned. The first arrest was made in Chennai, while the other two were picked up from Karur. Officials are probing the alleged conspiracy and its wider network.
Tamil Nadu Minister CT Nirmal Kumar attacked the DMK over the alleged plot. "Individuals directly associated with Senthil Balaji, as well as those from the so-called 'Karur Gang', are directly implicated in this matter. The police must take legal action and arrest everyone involved. They must put an end to such nefarious activities," Kumar said. The minister also accused the DMK of colluding with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami to try and bring down the Vijay-led government. He alleged that several TVK MLAs have been offered money to defect.

#WATCH | Chennai | Tamil Nadu Minister P. Nirmal Kumar says, "We have been saying continuously for the last 40 days that the DMK, Stalin, and his team have been trying to poach our MLAs. A few days ago, one of our MLAs was threatened by DMK members. This was backed by Senthil… pic.twitter.com/sRvMi8KZo2

— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2026

The DMK has also complained that chief minister C Joseph Vijay and MDMK chief Vaiko conspired to `poach two DMK MLAs.’ DMK Organising Secretary R.S. Bharathi says, "Vaiko has given a statement that he met the Chief Minister and the Chief Minister assured him that if he and his party members resign, he will campaign for them and help them win in the elections.  DMK moves the office of the governor by complaining that Vaiko and the  CM had indulged in horse trading.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu: On submitting a letter to the Governor against TVK, DMK Organising Secretary R.S. Bharathi says, "Vaiko has given a statement that he met the Chief Minister and the Chief Minister assured him that if he and his party members resign, he will campaign for them… pic.twitter.com/at8HUMWR0u

— IANS (@ians_india) July 1, 2026

According to the complaint filed by Ilaiyaraja with the Chennai Police Commissioner on June 29, a man identified as Thirunavukkarasu contacted him claiming to head an opinion polling organisation called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS) and said he was reaching out on behalf of members of a major political party. The caller allegedly later told the TVK legislator that a resolution would be moved against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative assembly and asked him to vote in a particular manner despite being a member of the ruling party. In return, he allegedly offered Ilaiyaraja up to Rs 35 crore. The MLA alleged that he rejected the offer and asked the caller not to contact him again. However, Thirunavukkarasu allegedly threatened him, warning that he and his family would face consequences if he disclosed the conversation. Police said the investigation later revealed that V Ashok Kumar, the brother of former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA V Senthil Balaji, had met Naresh in Chennai. Investigators further alleged that Thirunavukkarasu contacted Ilaiyaraja at the behest of Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar.
The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of a long-running political rivalry between TVK founder and Chief Minister Vijay and Senthil Balaji. During the recent Assembly election campaign, Vijay accused Balaji of conspiring to trigger a stampede at a campaign rally in Karur to discredit him. Balaji denied the allegation.