Lottery Martin’s son Jose signals u-turn, says LJK open to TVK alliance for 2026 polls

CHENNAI: Lottery operator Santiago Martin’s son, Jose Charles Martin, on Friday said his party, Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK), had expressed interest in an alliance with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, marking a shift from his earlier criticism of TVK president Vijay’s political messaging.

“We have expressed our interest. Now the response has to come from their side. We have conveyed our willingness,” Jose told reporters when asked about the possibility of an alliance, citing Vijay’s stated position against corruption.

Jose said he had not yet spoken directly to Vijay. “We have sent a request first. If they show interest, we will go and meet him,” he said, adding that any meeting would depend on a response from the actor-politician.

Responding to questions on his earlier remarks that Vijay’s Puducherry speech lacked clarity, Jose said his position was being misread. “The speech he delivered last time was like that. We said that the response it received was of that nature because of how he spoke.”

“When we say there is a lack of clarity, what we mean is that the people around him are not at that level,” he said. “That clarity is supposed to be provided by them, because the information they are giving him is incorrect.”

He also cited Vijay’s limited physical presence in Puducherry as a factor. “He is not going to be here regularly,” Jose said. “The people who are here are the ones who can sit down, get involved, and assess things on the ground. In such a situation, for a local party like ours, it would be good if we have their support.”

Jose did not name Aadhav Arjuna, Vijay’s aide and his brother-in-law, whom he had earlier accused of misleading the TVK leadership.
Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search