Political strategist Aadhav Arjuna, the son-in-law of 'Lottery King' Santiago Martin, on Saturday officially joined Thalapathy Vijay's political outfit Thamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
Arjuna was appointed as the general secretary of election campaign management and will work with political strategist John Arokisamy, Vijay said. He added that Arjun would formulate campaign strategies by following Arokiasamy's political plan of action.
After joining the TVK, Aadhav went to Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thirumavalavan's office to seek his blessings. Thirumavalan, however, praised Aadhav for maintaining respect despite being suspended from the party.
"Usually, when someone leaves a party, they develop enmity. But Aadhav did not see his exit as a conflict. He handled the situation maturely and did not use it against anyone. Now, after becoming a General Secretary in another party, he has come back for blessings. This is something others in Tamil Nadu politics should learn from," he said.
Aadhav said that Thirumavalavan advised him to move slowly but he told the latter that he needed achieve 10 years' worth of work in just 10 months.
This is Aadhav Arjuna's third political manoeuvre in less than a year as he was previously the deputy general secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). He, however, was suspended in December 2024 after he attacked the ruling DMK that leads the alliance the VCK is a part of.
At an event, he suggested that VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan should be made the Deputy Chief Minister and criticised the DMK.
Soon after, reports suggesting that Arjuna was in talks with the AIADMK and was negotiating a position in the party started doing the rounds. People within the AIADMK suggested discussions were indeed underway to accommodate Arjuna as the head of a position to recognise "veteran sportsmen and women."
Before joining the VCK, Aadhav was associated with the DMK's core strategy team and worked under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin's son-in-law Sabareesan.
His father-in-law was in the news last year for being the largest donor of electoral bonds to DMK, contributing ₹509 crore or around 77 per cent of the party's total declared funding.