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Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam · MLA Villivakkam · AC 14

Aadhav Arjuna

Aadhav Arjuna won Villivakkam (AC 14) in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as the TVK candidate, with 66,445 votes and a margin of 17,302. He is the TVK General Secretary for Election Campaign Management — the party's #2 post — and was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports Development and Prohibition & Excise in CM Vijay's first ministry on 10 May 2026.

Aadhav Arjuna
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam

Aadhav Arjuna

TVKMLA · Villivakkam
Cabinet role
Cabinet Minister for Sports Development & Prohibition and Excise, Government of Tamil Nadu (sworn in 10 May 2026; portfolio per multi-source pre-oath reporting, awaiting final Lok Bhavan order)
Born
12 April 1982 (44 yrs) — born Senthil Kumar in Trichy district
Constituency
Villivakkam · AC 14
District
Chennai
Party
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Profession
Politician (TVK General Secretary, election strategist); former President, Basketball Federation of India (2023– ); businessman with declared interests across infrastructure, food and gaming sectors
2026 result
won by 17,302 votes
Education
B.A (Political Science), Madras Christian College, University of Madras, 2003

At a glance

2026 votes
66,445
in the assembly election
Margin
17,302
votes ahead of runner-up
Constituency
Villivakkam
AC 14 · Chennai
Party
TVK
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Field size
29
candidates contested
Age
43 yrs
as of 2026
Declared assets
₹534.90 cr
ECI affidavit, 2026
Criminal cases
1 pending
declared in affidavit

Education

Highest qualificationGraduate

ECI affidavit (2026)

1 pending criminal case declared in the 2026 ECI affidavit. Total declared assets: ₹534.90 cr.

ItemValue
Total declared assets₹534.90 cr
Liabilities₹30.05 cr
Source: Election Commission of India affidavit, March 2026 — collated by myneta.info (view live page).

Career timeline

The 2026 win — Villivakkam

Aadhav Arjuna polled 66,445 votes, defeating Karthik Mohan (DMK) by a margin of 17,302.

#CandidatePartyVotes
1Aadhav ArjunaTVK66,445
2Karthik MohanDMK49,143
3Vijayakumar S. R.AIADMK19,338
4Roshini SNTK4,310
5NotaNOTA695

→ Full Villivakkam (AC 14) seat page · district: Chennai

Family

Married to Daisy Martin, daughter of Santiago Martin — the 'Lottery King' of Tamil Nadu and one of India's largest electoral-bond donors via Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd. Mother-in-law Leemarose Martin is the AIADMK MLA from Lalgudi (AC 143); brother-in-law Jose Charles Martin is an MLA in Puducherry's Kamraj Nagar constituency. Aadhav has stated publicly that he holds no formal stake in the Martin group of companies.

Party & ideology

Aadhav is the operational architect of Vijay's 2026 campaign — the high-profile face of TVK's data-driven booth strategy and the party's Chennai-North push. He brings a sports-administrator's organisational skill plus access to the Martin family's resources to bear on TVK's centre-left, secular-social-justice platform.

Notable statements

We are not in this for one election. TVK was built to last, to govern Tamil Nadu — Vijay's first oath is the beginning, not the end.— Aadhav Arjuna · TVK GS · post-counting press conference, 5 May 2026

FAQ

Who is Aadhav Arjuna?

Born Senthil Kumar in 1982, Aadhav Arjuna is the General Secretary of TVK (election campaign management) and the newly elected MLA from Villivakkam, Chennai. He won by 17,302 votes in 2026 and was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister with Vijay on 10 May.

Is Aadhav Arjuna related to Santiago Martin?

Yes. He is married to Daisy Martin, Santiago Martin's daughter. Santiago Martin runs Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd — among India's largest electoral-bond donors. Aadhav has said he holds no formal stake in the Martin group's businesses.

What was Aadhav's role before politics?

He represented Tamil Nadu in basketball for over a decade and was elected President of the Basketball Federation of India in 2023. Before joining TVK in January 2025 he had moved through several Tamil parties.

What are Aadhav Arjuna's declared assets?

₹534.90 crore in his 2026 ECI affidavit — the second-highest declared assets among TVK MLAs after Vijay (~₹648.85 cr). One pending criminal case was declared.

What portfolio does Aadhav Arjuna hold?

Sports Development and Prohibition & Excise per multi-source pre-oath and post-oath reporting (The South First, News9live, BusinessToday, voterlistindia.in). Final allocation will be locked in when Lok Bhavan publishes the official portfolio order. He was sworn in alongside CM Vijay on 10 May 2026.

Why Sports as a portfolio?

Aadhav represented Tamil Nadu in basketball for over a decade and has been President of the Basketball Federation of India since 2023 — making the sports brief a natural fit. Prohibition & Excise pairs it with a social-policy portfolio.

Sources