Representative image COIMBATORE: A protest in Tamil Nadu left behind an awkward truth for the election season – outrage, this time, was not over bribery itself but over who didn’t get it. Anger over being left out of the alleged cash-for-votes payout spilt onto a key road in Kottur, a rural pocket about 40km south of Coimbatore and roughly 500km southwest of Chennai, as residents blocked traffic towards nearby Pollachi on Monday.Protesters said that households in nearby areas had received money from a political party before polling on April 23, while their locality was skipped. They demanded “equal treatment, turning a routine election malpractice into a public standoff”.Local police warned that both demanding and accepting money for votes is a criminal offence and told the crowd that cases could follow for unlawful assembly and blocking a public road. Protesters dispersed soon after.District officials said complaints about cash distribution had surfaced, but this appeared to be the first protest driven by exclusion from such handouts. Flying squads and static surveillance teams have been asked to intensify patrolling in the Kottur area to trace the source of the alleged cash distribution.A social activist said that the episode underscored how entrenched the practice has become. “People now see cash for votes as an entitlement,” he said. TNNEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosNitish Kumar Was ‘Compromised’, BJP Controlled Him: Rahul Gandhi’s Big Bihar Claim In Tamil NaduPiyush Goyal Slams India-South Korea CEPA, Flags Need To Rewrite ‘Irrational’ Trade DealDelhi High Court Rejects Recusal Plea in Excise Policy Case; Judge Calls It “Catch-22” for HerselfUdhampur Bus Tragedy Kills 21; Political Row Erupts Over I-Pac In Bengal | WatchIndia, Ukraine Security Pact In Works? Zelenskyy Signals Big Move Amid Russia Ukraine WarUnmanned Mine Counter Measure Vessels Take Lead In Demining OperationsIndia-South Korea Mega Deal: PM Modi & Lee Jae Myung Target 50 Billion Trade, Boost TiesFire Erupts At Rajasthan’s HPCL Refinery Ahead Of PM Modi’s Launch EventNSA Doval Meets Top Saudi Leaders, Focus On Security And EnergyFact Check: No, Indian Navy Did NOT Detain Somali Pirates In Viral Video123PhotostoriesDid Alia Bhatt just front a Pakistani label in silk suits, or is this another viral fashion mix-up? Here’s what we know6 Psychology hacks that actually work6 types of food you should not store in plastic containers: Food authority’s strict guidelines on plastic materials safe for food productsMay garden checklist, Australia: What to plant for non-stop color and harvest8 condiments you should never keep back in the refrigerator once openedFrom two small spots in her MRI scan to losing 2 kgs in a month and following intermittent fasting, Shoaib Ibrahim and Dipika Kakar talk about her healthThese are the only 5 nations in the world that begin with letter “D” and each tells a unique storyAre you a traveller who loves to buy gold? 5 largest gold-producing countries in the world where gold can be cheaperPriyanka and Rahul Gandhi spotted relishing Gelato: What is Gelato and how is it different from ice cream and other frozen desserts10 Vedic baby girl names that begin with letter V123Hot PicksIran warDelimitation Bill DefeatPurple cap winnerOrange cap winnerIPL Points TablePublic holidays April 2026Bank Holidays AprilTop TrendingBan vs NZCardi BNoah LylesHailee Steinfeld heartbreaking confessionTaylor SwiftMike Vrabel DivorceAndhra Pradesh Murderh-1b VisasTrumpJapan Earthquake
COIMBATORE: A protest in Tamil Nadu left behind an awkward truth for the election season – outrage, this time, was not over bribery itself but over who didn’t get it. Anger over being left out of the alleged cash-for-votes payout spilt onto a key road in Kottur, a rural pocket about 40km south of Coimbatore and roughly 500km southwest of Chennai, as residents blocked traffic towards nearby Pollachi on Monday.Protesters said that households in nearby areas had received money from a political party before polling on April 23, while their locality was skipped. They demanded “equal treatment, turning a routine election malpractice into a public standoff”.Local police warned that both demanding and accepting money for votes is a criminal offence and told the crowd that cases could follow for unlawful assembly and blocking a public road. Protesters dispersed soon after.District officials said complaints about cash distribution had surfaced, but this appeared to be the first protest driven by exclusion from such handouts. Flying squads and static surveillance teams have been asked to intensify patrolling in the Kottur area to trace the source of the alleged cash distribution.A social activist said that the episode underscored how entrenched the practice has become. “People now see cash for votes as an entitlement,” he said. TNN