Chennai police on Thursday, 2 July registered a case against Ashok Kumar, brother of former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister and Coimbatore South MLA V. Senthil Balaji, in connection with an alleged ₹35 crore bribe offer made to a ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) legislator to switch allegiances. The case marks a sharp escalation in Tamil Nadu's post-election political standoff, where no party secured an outright majority.

Background: A Fractured Assembly

The Tamil Nadu Assembly election produced a hung verdict, with the TVK — led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay — emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats. The party subsequently formed the government with the support of the Indian National Congress (Congress) and other constituents of the former DMK-led alliance.

Since then, several All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislators have resigned and joined the TVK, incrementally strengthening the ruling party's numbers. Despite this, DMK President M.K. Stalin has consistently maintained that the TVK government lacks a stable majority and has repeatedly warned that fresh Assembly elections could be called at any time.

The Alleged Conspiracy

Against this backdrop of political fragility, Chennai police recently arrested five persons in connection with an alleged conspiracy to topple the TVK government by persuading a ruling-party legislator to defect. The case was registered on a complaint by TVK MLA N. Elaiyaraja, who alleged he had been repeatedly approached with both offers and threats to leave the ruling party.

According to police sources, the accused allegedly negotiated with the legislator, offering ₹35 crore in exchange for his support. During interrogation, investigators claim that one of the arrested accused, Naresh, disclosed that he had personally met Ashok Kumar in Chennai before approaching Elaiyaraja — and that he contacted the TVK MLA on the instructions of both Ashok Kumar and Senthil Balaji.

Legal Action and Investigation

Based on statements recorded during the investigation, police have registered a case against Ashok Kumar under four provisions of law, including sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Investigators are now probing the alleged meetings, financial promises, and communications between the accused and those suspected of orchestrating the operation.

Authorities are also examining electronic evidence, call records, and other materials gathered during the inquiry. Officials said the investigation is progressing on multiple fronts and that further action will depend on the evidence collected.

Political Fallout

The alleged horse-trading case has triggered a fresh controversy, with the ruling TVK accusing the opposition of attempting to destabilise the government. This is not an isolated episode — attempts to engineer defections in hung assemblies have a documented history across Indian states, from Madhya Pradesh in 2020 to Maharashtra in 2022. The investigation is expected to carry significant political ramifications in the days ahead, particularly given the fragile arithmetic in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.