- Leemarose Martin of AIADMK won Lalgudi, ending DMK's 20-year hold on the seat
- Aadhav Arjuna, TVK candidate and Martin's son-in-law, won Vikkivakkam by over 17,000 votes
- Jose Charles Martin, LJK leader and lottery baron's son, won Puducherry's Kamaraj Nagar seat
Leemarose Martin, an AIADMK candidate from Lalgudi in Tamil Nadu.
Aadhav Arjuna, the TVK candidate from Vikkivakkam in Tamil Nadu.
Jose Charles Martin, the LJK candidate from Kamaraj Nahar in Puducherry.
There is more than one thing common among these three candidates. One, of course, is that they have emerged victorious in the 2026 Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections. Second, they all belong to the family of India's 'lottery king' Santiago Martin, a major political donor through electoral bonds.
Martin's wife, son, and son-in-law contested from three different parties and drew victories in their respective constituencies.
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AIADMK Wins Lalgudi After Over 2 Decades, Courtesy Of Leemarose Martin
Leemarose Martin, wife of lottery baron Santiago Martin, contested from the Lalgudi constituency and defeated Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) Ku Pa Krishnan by over 2,500 votes (2,739).
Lalgudi, traditionally a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) stronghold, returned to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) after over 20 years. The DMK candidate, T Parivallal, lost by over 5,000 votes (5,230).
The DMK had won the seat in the 2021, 2016, 2011 and 2006 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Leema, who recently switched from the IJK (Indiya Jananayaka Katchi) after a 14-year stint, has been appointed by AIADMK Chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the Joint Secretary of the party's women's wing.
The Family's Second Win In Tamil Nadu
Aadhav Arjuna, Martin's son-in-law, and the general secretary of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won the Vikkivakkam seat by over 17,000 votes. Arjuna defeated the DMK's Karthik Mohan by 17,302 votes and the AIADMK's Vijayakumar SR by 47,107 votes.
The DMK had bagged the seat in the last two elections.
Also Read | Vijay Makes Superhit Debut. But Can TVK Stitch Numbers To Form Government?
Martins Shine In Puducherry Too
The lottery baron's son, Jose Charles Martin, contested the Puducherry elections with his own party, Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK). He won the Kamaraj Nagar seat by a margin of over 10,000 votes, leaving behind the Congress' PK Devadoss and the TVK's Suman.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV earlier in February, junior Martin, who earlier had a stint with the BJP, said he quit the party after delays in seat allocation but continues to admire Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and the Make in India programme.
Responding to criticism that he is an outsider to Puducherry, Martin said he has now shifted to the Union Territory and outlined an ambitious vision to develop it on the lines of Singapore and Hong Kong.
The LJK chief also rejected suggestions that his family seeks to influence politics across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
"My vision is different - I want to transform people's lives. The people of Puducherry can trust me," he had concluded.
