In the recently concluded assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, three members of the family of corruption-accused Santiago Martin have registered victories. Santiago Martin is also known as the lottery king of India.
One of them is Santiago Martin’s son-in-law, Aadhav Arjuna Reddy, a close confidante of actor-politician Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Reddy fought from the Villivakkam constituency and won by a margin of 17,302 votes. Reddy is married to Martin’s daughter, Daisy.
Meanwhile, Santiago Martin’s wife, Leema Rose Martin, contested and won from Tamil Nadu’s Lalgudi constituency. However, she contested on an All India Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ticket. She faced strong competition from TVK and DMK candidates and secured a close win with a margin of around 2,500 votes.
Jose Charles Martin, son of Santiago Martian, launched his party, the Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi party, in December 2025. Jose made a victorious debut, winning two seats. His party is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In 2012, a lottery scam case was registered against lottery baron Santiago Martin and others, in which the Sikkim government was allegedly cheated. In another case, the Enforcement Directorate in 2022 had also attached properties worth Rs 409.92 crore in the case against Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited and its various sub-distributors and area distributors for West Bengal. Several other cases have also been registered against Santiago Martin.
OpIndia had earlier published a detailed report revealing how the scam-tainted businessman cultivated extensive ties across the political spectrum to shield his business interests.
In Kerala, he donated ₹2 crores to the CPIM mouthpiece Deshabhimani, and was later represented in court by MK Damodaran, a close legal advisor to CM Pinarayi Vijayan. His DMK links are equally deep. He funded a ₹50-crore film scripted by M. Karunanidhi, while his son-in-law serves as a key election strategist for the party.
In West Bengal, Martin’s firm contributed ₹12,000 crores in GST to the TMC government, a period marked by TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s suspicious streak of multiple lottery wins. Meanwhile, the Congress connection is highlighted by senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s legal defence of Martin in court.
