Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | Costliest‑ever elections: Money flowed like water, activist alleges

Anti-corruption group flags rampant vote-buying; says money power hit ‘dangerous proportions’.

Chennai: Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption NGO in Tamil Nadu, ran a campaign ‘My Vote is Not for Sale’ in about 150 places across the state in the run-up to the April 23 assembly elections, educating people not to receive money from political parties to vote.

But the NGO is shocked that this election will go down in history as one of the costliest elections ever, with money and gift articles flowing like water.

Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam alleged that the amount of money spent this election would run into several thousands of crores.

“Political parties have been preparing to spend huge money to buy votes this time as they felt that the contest would be intense and the victory margins would be less,” Venkatesan told DH. He alleged that both DMK and AIADMK alliance distributed money across the state, while new comer, TVK, gave it in one or two pockets.

About his campaign, Venkatesan said it takes huge effort to educate people that receiving cash to vote in favour of a party is a crime and that they can be prosecuted under the law. “We have received information that even people whose houses sported a sticker that they will not receive money for votes were approached by political parties,” he added.

The activist also questioned the ECI for not acting against candidates even where there is video evidence of clear bribing and for not rescinding elections. Another reason, he flagged, is that in this election, the amount was so huge that people are being forced to be loyal to the highest bidder.

“Even if 3 to 5 per cent of voters show loyalty to the highest bidder, it is a blot on democracy. The ECI should also act against people who receive bribes to send a strong message,” he said.

From half-gram gold coins and silver articles to nose piercings, representatives home-delivered gifts to voters in many places, especially western Tamil Nadu. In addition to these, kitchen utensils, appliances, and other household items were delivered to people during Pongal this year.

For the record, the ECI said the seizures in Tamil Nadu, including cash and articles, accounted for Rs 599.24 crore since elections were announced.

The minimum going rate for a vote this time was Rs 1,000 in most parts of the state. In a few places, parties even offered Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 for a vote, Venkatesan alleged.

It didn’t surprise many in Tamil Nadu when people in different parts of the state took to the streets to protest that “cash-for-votes” had reached nearby areas but not theirs.

“This time, cash-for-votes wasn’t distributed in secret after dark—it was blatant and in broad daylight. Parties even took turns. Unless there’s an awakening from both sides (parties and voters), this trend is unstoppable. It has already reached dangerous proportions,” a senior politician told DH on condition of anonymity.

Tamil Nadu has the ignominy of being the only state where elections and by-elections have been rescinded in the past -- 2016, 2017, and 2019 -- due to rampant use of money power. It is a fact that money flows like water during elections in neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.

Prof. Ramu Manivannan, former head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, told DH that elections have become a caste-and-money game to which everyone subscribes.

“People take money because the system is corrupt. They collect from candidates every election just to pay it back to the system in the form of bribes over five years. The money poured into this election is a good economic indicator. Just as media reports liquor sales spiking after Deepavali or Onam, they should track election spending too,” he added.

Political commentator T N Raghu told DH that it is a paradox that Tamil Nadu, which prides itself on being an ancient civilisation, reports the highest number of cash-for-votes incidents with the DMK and AIADMK taking the lead.

“This practice has been there for a long time, but it has reached alarming proportions this time. Earlier, it was less than Rs 500, but now it has reached shocking values. People who receive it are also culpable, but those who give are more accountable,” he added.