‘Lottery King’ Santiago Martin’s son-in-law jumps ship again, now in Vijay’s TVK

In December, reports suggested Arjuna was in talks with the AIADMK, with sources indicating he was negotiating a position in the party. With Arjuna’s career in sports having served as the President of the Basketball Federation of India, multiple AIADMK sources had hinted that discussions were underway to accommodate him as the head of a newly-created position meant to recognise “veteran sportsmen and women”.

However, in a surprise turn, he has now joined TVK, securing a senior role in the party.

Arjuna’s appointment in TVK is significant. His position as general secretary of election campaign management places him third in the party’s hierarchy after Vijay and General Secretary Bussy Anand. The latter is a longtime confidant of the actor-politician.

A statement announcing the decision Friday read: “I would like to inform you that Mr. Aadhav Arjuna, who has been appointed as the general secretary of election campaign management, will collaborate with my political strategy mentor, Mr. John Arockiasamy, and follow his political strategies to design election campaigns and undertake election management tasks.”

A closer reading of this signals that while Arjuna holds a high-ranking title, and his financial backing will bring him heft, his responsibilities will be supervised under Arockiasamy, a political brand strategist and close associate of the actor from the early stages of his political plans. It was Arockiasamy who helped Vijay turn his fan clubs into a highly-organised political body

However, a section within TVK remains cautious about Arjuna’s elevation.

“By appointing Arjuna as third in the party, Vijay may have committed a mistake similar to (VCK chief) Thirumavalavan, who gave him a senior post bypassing experienced leaders in VCK, only to regret it later,” a TVK functionary said.

He added: “We heard last month that he was joining AIADMK. But now he is here. The party should benefit from his ability to mobilise funds and resources.”

Arjuna’s political journey has been swift and unconventional. Before joining the VCK, he was closely associated with the DMK’s core strategy team, working under the leadership of Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan. His political ambitions, however, were left unfulfilled when he failed to secure a DMK ticket for the Rajya Sabha.

He then joined the VCK in February 2024, where he quickly rose to prominence early last year, only to embarrass party chief Thirumavalavan before other VCK leaders and the DMK, resulting in his expulsion within months.

Reacting to reports of Arjuna joining TVK, VCK leader Thirumavalavan said his party had taken disciplinary action and suspended him. “Most leaders in such cases would wait, explain their position, and request reinstatement. He chose to quit,” Thirumavalavan said.

Other members of Arjuna’s family are also in politics. His mother-in-law and Martin’s wife Leema Rose holds a key position in the Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK), an NDA ally led by powerful businessman and SRM Group owner T R Paarivendhar. His brother-in-law, Charles Jose Martin, works with the BJP. “Lottery King” Santiago Martin, his father-in-law, was in the news last year for being the largest electoral donor to the DMK, contributing Rs 509 crores or 77% of the party’s total declared funding.

Besides Arjuna, another notable appointment on Friday was that of CTR Nirmal Kumar from AIADMK, who was earlier in the BJP’s IT wing before he joined AIADMK in March 2023. Kumar, who will play a key role in TVK’s digital wing, has previously faced multiple cases and arrest warrants in connection with fake news, including a video from Bahrain that he posted on his X handle, falsely claiming it was taken near Marina Beach in Chennai to criticise the government during a flood crisis.

Another appointment on Friday was that of YouTuber and social media influencer Rajmohan Arumugam who is known for his channel “Put Chutney”.