Madurai police pick up former deputy mayor over alleged bribe bid against TVK MLA

Madurai City Police picked up former Madurai Corporation Deputy Mayor P.M. Mannan for inquiry on Friday, November 6, 2026, following a complaint of a bribery attempt during a no-confidence motion. Mr. Mannan, who is now in the AIADMK, was taken from his residence at Arappalayam in the early hours of the morning and brought to the Central Crime Branch office for questioning. The inquiry stems from a complaint lodged by V.M.S. Mustafa, the ruling TVK MLA representing the Madurai Central Assembly constituency. Mr. Mustafa claimed that an attempt was made to bribe him with thirty crore rupees to vote against the TVK-led government during a no-confidence motion. Based on this complaint, the Central Crime Branch registered a case against Mr. Mannan under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal conspiracy under Section 61 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhinta.

Background

Mr. Mannan previously served as the Deputy Mayor of Madurai between 2006 and 2011 as a DMK candidate and remained a close loyalist of former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri until switching parties to the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. Police stated that he is currently only being interrogated in connection with the registered case, while political tensions remain high across the state regarding alleged horse-trading and bribery bids surrounding legislative motions.