SALEM: A video of TVK’s Omalur constituency candidate RV Adhiyaman has gone viral on social media, triggering a political controversy after he was seen speaking about the reasons that, according to him, led to his party’s defeat in the constituency. In the 2026 polls, Adhiyaman contested on behalf of TVK in Omalur and lost to AIADMK candidate R Mani by a margin of 14,539 votes.
In the viral clip, Adhiyaman is seen stating that one of the key reasons for the party’s defeat was the alleged distribution of Rs 2,000 per vote in the neighbouring Salem West constituency, which he claims had an impact on voter sentiment in Omalur as well. He further mentions that due to this, the party may have lost at least 6,000 votes, and possibly more, despite reaching out to voters and explaining the party’s schemes during the rally.
His remarks went viral, with social media users linking them to Salem West MLA and TVK candidate S Lakshmanan, who won the constituency by 74,867 votes.
Following the controversy, Adhiyaman issued a clarification through a video statement, saying that the clip circulating on social media was taken from a discussion held on May 31 and claimed that it had been selectively edited. He said his remarks were made during an internal party discussion on analysing the reasons for the defeat in Omalur and were not intended as a public accusation against any individual.
Speaking to TNIE, Adhiyaman said, “I have no idea where all this started, and I have not said anything about Salem West MLA S Lakshmanan. What I meant was that since there was a cash distribution in the neighbouring Salem West constituency, it had a ripple effect in Omalur. When rival parties in the DMK and AIADMK alliance distributed money in Salem West constituency, it created dissatisfaction among some sections of voters in Omalur, which eventually became one of the reasons for our defeat. This discussion took place on May 31, and I’m not sure why it is being circulated now.”