A senior Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionary and former Assembly candidate has sparked controversy after claiming that cash was distributed to voters in the neighbouring Salem West constituency during the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, as reported in The Hindu.
R.V. Adhiyamaan, who contested from Omalur on a TVK ticket, made the remarks during a meeting of party functionaries held after the election. A video of his speech has since been widely circulated on social media.
In the video, Adhiyamaan listed what he believed were the reasons for his defeat in Omalur. According to him, the primary factor was the alleged distribution of ₹2,000 per vote by TVK’s Salem West candidate S. Lakshmanan.
Adhiyamaan stated that party workers had spent considerable time campaigning among voters, explaining the party’s policies, highlighting welfare measures and taking the party’s message directly to the people. However, he claimed that all of those efforts were effectively nullified during the final days of campaigning because of cash distribution.
According to Adhiyamaan, the alleged distribution of money in Salem West had a spillover effect in neighbouring Omalur, causing significant political damage to his campaign. He estimated that the development may have cost him anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 votes.
The remarks have drawn attention because TVK, led by Chief Minister Vijay, had repeatedly positioned itself as a party that would break away from traditional election practices and reject vote-buying politics.
In the viral video, Adhiyamaan appeared to openly acknowledge that cash had been distributed to voters and linked the practice directly to the election outcome.
However, it remains unclear exactly what Adhiyamaan meant by his remarks. It is not known whether he was alleging that voters in Omalur became dissatisfied because they did not receive similar payments, or whether the alleged cash distribution created disappointment among voters who expected TVK to adhere to its stated principles.
Adhiyamaan ultimately lost the Omalur Assembly constituency to AIADMK candidate R. Mani by a margin of 14,539 votes. In contrast, Salem West candidate S. Lakshmanan secured victory with a margin of 74,867 votes.
The comments have fuelled political criticism, with opponents questioning the gap between TVK’s public messaging on electoral reform and the allegations made by one of its own candidates regarding cash distribution during the campaign.
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