Thirunavukkarasu (45) from Arumbakkam, one of three men arrested by Greater Chennai Police | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Three men have been arrested by the Triplicane police in Chennai following a complaint lodged by Uthangarai MLA N. Elaiyaraja of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party for trying to bribe him to vote during a no-confidence motion against the Speaker in the upcoming Assembly session.
A senior official of the Greater Chennai Police said that Elaiyaraja had lodged a complaint with the Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner a few days ago. In his complaint, the MLA claimed that he was contacted by an individual named Thirunavukkarasu claiming to run an opinion polling company called ‘Indian Political Democratic Strategies’ (IPDS) and claimed that he was reaching out at the behest of members of a major political party to arrange a face-to-face meeting. However, Elaiyaraja cut the call, citing other commitments.
Thirunavukkarasu reportedly contacted him again and made an offer claiming that a no-confidence motion was being moved against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and asked Mr. Elaiyaraja to act in a specific manner during the voting on the motion, promising a reward of up to Rs 35 million.
N. Elaiyaraja, complainant and Uthangarai TVK MLA | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Firmly refusing, Elaiyaraja declared that he was not interested and told the caller not to contact him again. In response, Thirunavukkarasu threatened that Elaiyaraja and his family would face dire consequences if the conversation was revealed to anyone.
Accordingly, the Uthangarai MLA lodged a complaint with the Chennai City Police Commissioner on June 29, 2026 and took legal action against Thirunavukkarasu. Based on the complaint, Triplicane police lodged a case and arrested Thirunavukkarasu (45) of Arumbakkam, Naresh of Tiruchi and Thiagarajan of Medavakkam, who were acting in the background.
Further, investigation has revealed that V. Ashok Kumar, brother of former DMK minister and current Coimbatore South MLA, V. Senthilbalaji, met the accused, Naresh, in Chennai.
Published – Jul 1, 2026 06:04 pm IST
