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

In December, reports suggested Arjuna was successful talks with the AIADMK, with sources indicating helium was negotiating a presumption successful the party. With Arjuna’s vocation successful sports having served arsenic the President of the Basketball Federation of India, aggregate AIADMK sources had hinted that discussions were underway to accommodate him arsenic the caput of a newly-created presumption meant to recognise “veteran sportsmen and women”.

However, successful a astonishment turn, helium has present joined TVK, securing a elder relation successful the party.

Arjuna’s assignment successful TVK is significant. His presumption arsenic wide caput of predetermination run absorption places him 3rd successful the party’s hierarchy aft Vijay and General Secretary Bussy Anand. The second is simply a longtime confidant of the actor-politician.

A connection announcing the determination Friday read: “I would similar to pass you that Mr. Aadhav Arjuna, who has been appointed arsenic the wide caput of predetermination run management, volition collaborate with my governmental strategy mentor, Mr. John Arockiasamy, and travel his governmental strategies to plan predetermination campaigns and undertake predetermination absorption tasks.”

A person speechmaking of this signals that portion Arjuna holds a high-ranking title, and his fiscal backing volition bring him heft, his responsibilities volition beryllium supervised nether Arockiasamy, a governmental marque strategist and adjacent subordinate of the histrion from the aboriginal stages of his governmental plans. It was Arockiasamy who helped Vijay crook his instrumentality clubs into a highly-organised governmental body

However, a conception wrong TVK remains cautious astir Arjuna’s elevation.

“By appointing Arjuna arsenic 3rd successful the party, Vijay whitethorn person committed a mistake akin to (VCK chief) Thirumavalavan, who gave him a elder station bypassing experienced leaders successful VCK, lone to regret it later,” a TVK functionary said.

He added: “We heard past period that helium was joining AIADMK. But present helium is here. The enactment should payment from his quality to mobilise funds and resources.”

Arjuna’s governmental travel has been swift and unconventional. Before joining the VCK, helium was intimately associated with the DMK’s halfway strategy team, moving nether the enactment of Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan. His governmental ambitions, however, were near unfulfilled erstwhile helium failed to unafraid a DMK summons for the Rajya Sabha.

He past joined the VCK successful February 2024, wherever helium rapidly roseate to prominence aboriginal past year, lone to embarrass enactment main Thirumavalavan earlier different VCK leaders and the DMK, resulting successful his expulsion wrong months.

Reacting to reports of Arjuna joining TVK, VCK person Thirumavalavan said his enactment had taken disciplinary enactment and suspended him. “Most leaders successful specified cases would wait, explicate their position, and petition reinstatement. He chose to quit,” Thirumavalavan said.

Other members of Arjuna’s household are besides successful politics. His mother-in-law and Martin’s woman Leema Rose holds a cardinal presumption successful the Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK), an NDA state led by almighty businessman and SRM Group proprietor T R Paarivendhar. His brother-in-law, Charles Jose Martin, works with the BJP. “Lottery King” Santiago Martin, his father-in-law, was successful the quality past twelvemonth for being the largest electoral donor to the DMK, contributing Rs 509 crores oregon 77% of the party’s full declared funding.

Besides Arjuna, different notable assignment connected Friday was that of CTR Nirmal Kumar from AIADMK, who was earlier successful the BJP’s IT helping earlier helium joined AIADMK successful March 2023. Kumar, who volition play a cardinal relation successful TVK’s integer wing, has antecedently faced aggregate cases and apprehension warrants successful transportation with fake news, including a video from Bahrain that helium posted connected his X handle, falsely claiming it was taken adjacent Marina Beach successful Chennai to criticise the authorities during a flood crisis.

Another assignment connected Friday was that of YouTuber and societal media influencer Rajmohan Arumugam who is known for his transmission “Put Chutney”.