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The newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu has landed in its first major controversy after abruptly withdrawing a public works tender within hours of issuing it, following allegations of favoritism and procedural violations raised by the opposition. The dispute erupted over a Rural Development Department tender issued on May 19 for the construction of a 30,000-litre overhead water tank in Kancheepuram district. The project, estimated at Rs 16.83 lakh, drew widespread criticism after it emerged that contractors were given only six hours to submit bids.

The tender notification was reportedly published at 9 a.m., with the final submission deadline fixed for 3 p.m. on the same day. Authorities had planned to open the bids an hour later at 4 p.m.

DMK Accuses TVK Govt of ‘Pre-Planned Contract Politics’

As screenshots of the tender notice spread rapidly across social media, the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam intensified its attack on the government, accusing it of manipulating the process to benefit a preferred contractor. DMK Deputy Secretary Amutharasan questioned how any company could reasonably prepare a Detailed Project Report and complete mandatory documentation within such a narrow timeframe, as per reports.

In a strongly worded social media post, he described the move as “pre-planned contract politics” and also targeted Rural Development Minister N Anand over the issue.

Government Withdraws Tender Amid Growing Backlash

Facing mounting criticism, the government cancelled the tender later the same day. Officials cited “administrative reasons” for the sudden withdrawal, though opposition leaders continued to question how such a process was approved in the first place.

Anti-corruption activist Radhakrishnan from Arappor Iyakkam urged Chief Minister Vijay to ensure strict compliance with Tamil Nadu’s tender regulations. He also demanded that all future work orders be published transparently online and called for disciplinary action against officials found violating procurement norms.

Fresh Tender Row Adds Pressure on New Administration

The controversy comes just days after another tender-related dispute involving the Greater Chennai Corporation. On May 15, the corporation floated six limited tenders worth nearly Rs 3 crore for hiring excavators, giving bidders less than 24 hours to submit applications.

That episode too triggered allegations of inflated costs and favoritism, eventually forcing authorities to cancel the tenders and suspend an executive engineer.

With two tender controversies surfacing within a week, opposition parties are now intensifying pressure on the TVK government over transparency and governance standards.