Aadhav Arjuna, initially known as the son-in-law of businessman Lottery Martin, has in recent years developed a separate political profile as an election strategist. After earlier stints with the DMK and later the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), from which he was expelled following internal disputes, he is now active in actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The party has appointed him as its General Secretary for Election Campaign Management.
As TVK intensifies preparations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, party insiders described Aadhav Arjuna as a key figure in the campaign’s organisational structure. However, his long-running conflict with Lottery Martin’s son Charles Martin has resurfaced in public.
In an interview to a private television channel, Charles Martin stated that Aadhav Arjuna, along with John Arokiyasamy, had been sent with the intention of isolating Vijay within his own party and weakening TVK’s prospects.
Charles said some political observers believed the two were planted by the DMK to cause internal disruption. He said that the manner in which Aadhav Arjuna handled a recent interview ended up harming TVK’s public image more than that of the DMK.
Charles also alleged that Aadhav Arjuna initially appeared to be moving towards an alliance framework involving strategist Prashant Kishor but later announced that such an arrangement would not proceed. He suggested that the sudden involvement and withdrawal of Kishor created confusion and raised questions about Aadhav’s political intentions. According to him, such situations required caution, as political conspiracies were common.
Explaining the origins of his dispute with Aadhav Arjuna, Charles said tensions began when Aadhav married into the family and allegedly tried to position himself to control their business interests. He said this created a split between him and his father for two years. He further claimed that Aadhav attempted to create internal frictions within DMK leadership circles before being removed from the party.
Charles alleged that Aadhav Arjuna employed similar methods after joining VCK, where he was also expelled after disagreements with senior leaders. He further said Aadhav was now trying to assert dominance within TVK and that his past behaviour suggested a pattern of using positions of influence for personal advancement rather than ideological commitment.
He claimed Aadhav pursued political posts primarily for authority and financial gain and referred to allegations of attempts to acquire SIPCOT land during Aadhav’s brief stint with the DMK. Charles said such motives raised concerns about the direction in which TVK might move if it relied heavily on Aadhav’s political advice.
Charles Martin said Aadhav Arjuna was now using similar methods within TVK and alleged that his actions posed greater damage to TVK than they did to the DMK. He said that, based on Aadhav’s past conduct, TVK risked being weakened ahead of the 2026 elections.
When asked if Vijay will achieve his goal of becoming Chief Minister and rewrite history, and whether this will be possible under the guidance of Aadhav Arjuna, Martin said, “Honestly, frankly speaking, it’s not such an easy or possible thing. If you look at it, Chiranjeevi was a huge actor, a superstar in Telugu cinema, and he managed to get about 15–16% vote share at the time. Even though he secured that vote share, he still couldn’t form a government. I think he won just four seats—I’m not exactly sure. So, looking at that, even MGR didn’t win power in his first term. There is a step-by-step path for growth; only that process is feasible, not immediate power as some expect. That’s why I say these people are giving the wrong guidance—Aadhav Arjuna and John Arokiyaraj have probably been implanted. There are allegations against some people that they took money. And after taking the money, they have tried to distance and deceive [Vijay] in this field with such intentions, according to some conspiracy theories. Only if we analyse it further, we can tell for sure.”
(Source: Samayam Tamil)
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