Tamil Nadu Assembly ElectionsPuducherry ElectionsPolitical FamiliesAIADMKBJP
Three Members of Martin Family Elected on Different Party Tickets in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Published: May 8, 2026
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Leena Rose Martin, wife of lottery businessman Santiago Martin, was elected from the Lalgudi constituency as an AIADMK candidate, while her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna won the Villivakam seat on a Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) ticket in the May 4, 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Her son, Jose Charles Martin, secured the Kamarajar Nagar seat in Puducherry as founder of the Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi, part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This marks a rare instance of three family members entering legislative office under different party banners in South India.
The Martins join a growing list of Indian political families divided across party lines. In Tamil Nadu, V.K. Sasikala split from her nephew TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam to form her own party, while the Vasanthkumar family sees members in Congress and BJP. The Ramadoss family of Pattali Makkal Katchi also fractured, with S. Ramadoss forming a rival faction after being expelled by his son Anbumani.
Splits extend beyond Tamil Nadu. In Telangana, K. Kavitha formed Telangana Rakshana Sena after being sidelined in the BRS, while her brother K.T. Rama Rao remains with the party. In Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP includes his father-in-law’s sons, but his daughter-in-law D. Purandeshwari is with BJP and her husband with Congress. The Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy family split after Jagan Mohan Reddy led YSRCP to power, while his sister Y.S. Sharmila joined Congress.
In Bihar, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s brother is a JD(U) MLA, while Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tej Pratap launched Janashakti Janata Dal after estrangement from RJD. In Jharkhand, Sita Soren, sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, left JMM for BJP in 2024 citing familial neglect. In Uttar Pradesh, Mukhtar Ansari’s family remains tied to BSP despite his death in custody.
The newly elected MLAs are expected to take their oaths during the upcoming assembly sessions in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, with coalition formations already underway in both regions.