Trichy: All three members of lottery baron Santiago Martin's family, who made their electoral debut representing different parties in the 2026 polls, have emerged victorious.
Leema Rose Wins in Lalgudi
Martin's wife Leema Rose, who contested on an AIADMK ticket in Trichy district's Lalgudi segment, won by a margin of 2,739 votes. She was the richest candidate in Tamil Nadu and has now become the richest MLA in the state assembly. Leema Rose is the first woman AIADMK candidate to win in central Tamil Nadu. Though Lalgudi was a DMK stronghold, she maintained a steady lead from the beginning, defeating DMK's T Parivallal and TVK candidate Ku Pa Krishnan, a former AIADMK minister. Despite not having any prior connection to Lalgudi—she is a native of Devakottai and resides in Coimbatore—Leema, who declared assets of Rs 1,049 crore, handpicked the constituency for its demographic advantage, which includes a sizable number of Udayar and Christian votes. DMK's campaign branding her as an outsider did not hinder her comfortable victory.
Aadhav Arjuna Wins in Villivakkam
In Chennai's Villivakkam, Martin's son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who serves as the general secretary (campaign) of Vijay's TVK, won by a margin of 17,302 votes, defeating DMK and AIADMK candidates. Aadhav Arjuna declared the lowest assets among the three family members at Rs 197 crore. He faced his friend Karthik Mohan, fielded by DMK, with whom he had previously worked in the same political team during his stint in the DMK. Although Karthik had spent months campaigning in neighbouring Anna Nagar, he was fielded in Villivakkam, leaving him limited time to campaign. Vijay's rallies in neighbouring Perambur had a spill-over effect in Villivakkam, boosting Aadhav's prospects.
Jose Charles Martin Wins in Puducherry
In the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry, Martin's elder son, Jose Charles Martin, who founded the Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) and allied with the AINRC-BJP alliance, won the Kamaraj Nagar constituency by a margin of 10,205 votes. Jose Charles initially wanted to contest alone in all 30 seats in Puducherry, but the BJP got him to join the AINRC-BJP alliance, which allotted two seats to his party. He was the richest candidate in Puducherry with total declared assets of about Rs 610 crore.
(Inputs from Ram Sundaram and Bosco Dominique)
