MarylinBrantley at 21:20, 5 May 2026

2026-05-05T21:20:31Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician, political strategist and sports administrator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Aadhav Arjuna
| image =
| caption = Aadhav Arjuna in 2026

| office = Member of the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| constituency = [[Villivakkam (state assembly constituency)|Villivakkam]]
| term_start = 4 May 2026
| term_end =
| predecessor = [[A. Vetriazhagan]] ([[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]])

| office1 = General Secretary (Election Campaign Management), [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam]]
| term_start1 = 31 January 2025
| term_end1 =
| president1 = [[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]]
| predecessor1 = ''Position established''
| 1blankname1 = General Secretary
| 1namedata1 = [[N. Anand]]

| office2 = Deputy General Secretary, [[Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi]]
| term_start2 = 2023
| term_end2 = 15 December 2024
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|04|12}}
| birth_place = [[Tiruchirappalli]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam]] (2025–present)
| other_party = [[Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi]] (2023–2024)
| spouse = Daisy Martin
| father = Rajendran (farmer)
| relatives = [[Leema Rose Martin]], mother-in-law <br/> [[Jose Charles Martin]], brother-in law
| alma_mater = Ramakrishna Mission School, Trichy<br/>[[Madras Christian College]] (BA and MA, Political Science)
| occupation = {{Hlist|Politician|political strategist|sports administrator|philanthropist}}
| known_for = TVK election strategy; President of [[Basketball Federation of India]]; son-in-law of [[Santiago Martin (businessman)|Santiago Martin]]
}}

'''Aadhav Arjuna''' (born 12 April 1982) is an Indian politician, political strategist, philanthropist and sports administrator from [[Tamil Nadu]]. He is the elected [[Member of Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) representing the [[Villivakkam (state assembly constituency)|Villivakkam assembly constituency]] in [[Chennai]], having won the seat in the [[2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]].<ref name="News18">{{Cite web |date=4 May 2026 |title=Villivakkam election result LIVE: Aadhav Arjuna of TVK wins |url=https://www.news18.com/elections/villivakkam-tamil-nadu-assembly-2026-winner-live-updates-highlights-exaxt-en-liveblog-10072032.html |access-date=4 May 2026 |website=News18}}</ref> He serves as the General Secretary for Election Campaign Management of the [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam]] (TVK), making him the highest-ranking party official after president [[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]] and General Secretary [[N. Anand]].<ref name="ThePrint">{{cite web |url=https://theprint.in/politics/lottery-king-santiago-martins-son-in-law-aadhav-arjuna-joins-tvk-will-be-no-2-after-vijay/2471856/ |title=Lottery King Santiago Martin's son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna joins TVK. Will be no.2 after Vijay |website=The Print |date=31 January 2025}}</ref> He is also the President of the [[Basketball Federation of India]].<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |url=https://www.basketballfederationindia.org/office-bearers/mr-aadhavarjuna/ |title=Mr. Aadhav Arjuna |website=Basketball Federation of India |date=30 November 2023}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Arjuna was born on 12 April 1982 in [[Tiruchirappalli]], Tamil Nadu, into a farming family. His father, Rajendran, was a farmer, and his mother, Kalyani, passed away when he was young, following which he was raised by his uncle, grandmother, and later his relative, [[G. Thilakavathi|Thilagavathi]], who became the first female [[Indian Police Service]] (IPS) officer from Tamil Nadu.<ref name="ThePrint"/>

He completed his schooling at YWCA and Ramakrishna Mission School in Tiruchirappalli, where he developed a passion for basketball. He later moved to Chennai and earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Political Science from [[Madras Christian College]], supported by a merit scholarship.<ref name="ThePrint"/>

==Career==

===Basketball and sports administration===
Arjuna began his career as a national-level basketball player representing Tamil Nadu. He transitioned into sports administration, serving as General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association in 2017 and later its President in 2021.<ref name="TNM-family">{{cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/the-lottery-kings-blueprint-on-the-campaign-trail-with-santiago-martins-family |title=The Lottery King's blueprint: On the campaign trail with Santiago Martin's family |website=The News Minute |date=April 2026}}</ref> In 2023, he was elected President of the [[Basketball Federation of India]] (BFI).<ref name="BFI"/> He also serves as General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association.

===Political consultancy===
In 2014, Arjuna began collaborating with the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (DMK) on election strategies. He is credited with introducing poll strategist [[Prashant Kishor]] and his organisation [[I-PAC]] to the DMK, a partnership that contributed significantly to the party's victory in the [[2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]].<ref name="ThePrint"/> In 2019, he founded '''One Mind India''', a political data analysis and campaign development organisation, which later evolved into '''Voice of Commons''' (VOC), a political research and advocacy platform.<ref name="TNM-DH">{{cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/the-lottery-kings-dark-horse-gallops-to-power |title=The lottery king's dark horse gallops to power |website=The News Minute |date=4 May 2026}}</ref>

===Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)===
In 2023, Arjuna formally joined the [[Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi]] (VCK), where his consultancy VOC restructured the party's grassroots framework and introduced digital campaign methods. He was elevated to Deputy General Secretary of the VCK in recognition of his contributions.<ref name="TNM-DH"/>

On 9 December 2024, he was suspended from the VCK for six months after sharing a stage with TVK president Vijay at a book launch on [[B. R. Ambedkar]] and calling for an end to dynastic politics — remarks widely interpreted as criticism of the ruling [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]].<ref name="DTNext">{{cite web |url=https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/aadhav-arjuna-suspended-from-vck-for-6-months-814430 |title=Aadhav Arjuna suspended from VCK for 6 months |website=DT Next |date=9 December 2024}}</ref> He resigned from the VCK on 15 December 2024.<ref name="ThePrint"/>

===Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)===
On 31 January 2025, Arjuna officially joined the [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam]] (TVK) at the party headquarters in Chennai, in the presence of party president Vijay. He was appointed General Secretary for Election Campaign Management, the highest post in the party after the president.<ref name="ThePrint"/> In this role, he oversaw TVK's campaign strategy, booth-agent training programmes, and coordinated with political consultant Jhon Arokiasamy of JPAC Persona for the 2026 elections.<ref name="ThePrint"/>

====Karur stampede and FIR====
Following the Karur stampede on 27 September 2025 — which occurred during a TVK public rally led by Vijay and resulted in 41 deaths — Arjuna posted on [[X (social media)|X]] urging Tamil Nadu's youth to "revolt" against authority, drawing comparisons to political upheavals in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu Police registered an FIR against him under multiple sections of the [[Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita]].<ref name="ANI">{{cite web |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/tvk-leader-adhava-arjuna-in-dehradun-amid-case-over-controversial-x-post-after-karur-stampede20251004104530/ |title=TVK leader Adhava Arjuna in Dehradun amid case over controversial X post after Karur stampede |website=ANI News |date=4 October 2025}}</ref> The [[Madras High Court]] subsequently quashed the FIR, holding that the post constituted protected political dissent.<ref name="WebIndia">{{cite web |url=https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20251105/4380400.html |title=Madras HC halts filing of final report in FIR against TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna |website=Web India 123 |date=5 November 2025}}</ref>

===2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election===
In the [[2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]], Arjuna contested from the [[Villivakkam (state assembly constituency)|Villivakkam assembly constituency]] in [[Chennai]], a constituency adjoining [[Perambur (state assembly constituency)|Perambur]], where TVK president Vijay also contested. He won the seat, polling 66,445 votes and defeating the nearest rival Karthik Mohan of the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] by a margin of 17,302 votes.<ref name="ECI">{{cite web |url=https://results.eci.gov.in/ResultAcGenMay2026/candidateswise-S2214.htm |title=Villivakkam – Candidatewise Result |website=Election Commission of India |date=4 May 2026}}</ref><ref name="NDTV">{{Cite web |last=Shankar |first=Shrikant |date=4 May 2026 |title=TVK Wave In Tamil Nadu: Check Full List Of Winning MLAs From Vijay's Party |url=https://www.ndtvprofit.com/india/tvk-wave-in-tamil-nadu-check-full-list-of-winning-mlas-from-vijays-party-11447467 |access-date=4 May 2026 |website=NDTV Profit}}</ref>

{{transcluded section|source=Villivakkam Assembly constituency}}
{{trim|{{#section-h:Villivakkam Assembly constituency|2026}}}}

==Personal life==
Arjuna is married to Daisy Martin, daughter of lottery businessman [[Santiago Martin (businessman)|Santiago Martin]], widely known as the "Lottery King" of Tamil Nadu.<ref name="ThePrint"/> His mother-in-law and wife of Santiago Martin, [[Leema Rose Martin]] and brother-in-law [[Jose Charles Martin]] are MLAs from [[Lalgudi Assembly constituency|Lalgudi]] in Tamil Nadu and [[Kamaraj Nagar Assembly constituency|Kamraj Nagar]] in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] respectively.<ref name="SouthFirst">{{cite web |url=https://thesouthfirst.com/tamilnadu/from-top-electoral-bond-donor-to-family-of-mlas-santiago-martins-wife-son-son-in-law-win-big/ |title=From top electoral bond donor to family of MLAs: Santiago Martin's wife, son, son-in-law win big |website=The South First |date=4 May 2026}}</ref> [[Martin Group (company)|Martin's company]], Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt. Ltd, purchased ₹1,368 crore worth of electoral bonds between 2018 and 2024, the highest in the country.<ref name="SouthFirst"/>

==Electoral history==
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 87%"
|-
! Assembly Election !! Constituency !! Party !! Result !! Votes !! Margin
|-
| [[2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]] || [[Villivakkam Assembly constituency|Villivakkam]] || [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam|TVK]] || {{Won}} || 66,445 || 17,302
|}

==See also==
* [[2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]]
* [[Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam]]
* [[Villivakkam (state assembly constituency)]]
* [[Martin Group (company)]]
* [[Basketball Federation of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arjuna, Aadhav}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu MLAs 2026–2031]]
[[Category:Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians from Tiruchirappalli]]
[[Category:Indian basketball players]]

Aadhav Arjuna - Revision history

MarylinBrantley at 21:20, 5 May 2026