VK President Vijay election campaign for Velachery Constituency Candidate R. Kumar at Thiruvanmiyur Junction on Monday. | Photo Credit: RAGU R

As Tamil Nadu heads into Assembly polls, an analysis of candidate affidavits reveals stark disparities in declared wealth, with several contestants reporting assets running into thousands of crores while others list only a few hundred rupees.

Leema Rose Martin of the AIADMK, a first-time contestant, emerges as the wealthiest candidate with total declared wealth over ₹5,800 crore. She is the wife of lottery baron Santiago Martin, often referred to as the “Lottery King”. Her affidavit details diversified financial holdings spread across bank deposits, equity shares, mutual funds, profit-sharing partnerships, loans advanced and jewellery.

C. Joseph Vijay of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) follows with ₹426.2 crore in movable and ₹222.6 crore in immovable assets. Known to his fans as “Thalapathy”, the Tamil cinema superstar is making his electoral debut this year after launching TVK as his political platform. 

His movable wealth is led by bank deposits of over ₹328 crore, loans and advances exceeding ₹75 crore, investments in private and listed firms, vehicles worth over ₹7 crore, and jewellery above ₹6 crore. His immovable assets include agricultural and non-agricultural land, commercial buildings, and residential properties in Chennai and around, valued at over ₹220 crore.

Aadhav Arjuna, also of TVK, has declared ₹344.8 crore in movable and ₹190 crore in immovable property. Santiago Martin’s son-in-law and once seen as a potential heir to the lottery empire, he is now charting an independent political path with TVK. His holdings span real estate ventures, LLPs, private firms, and structural investments.

Among others, Dr. Esakki Subaya (AIADMK) has reported ₹10.6 crore in movable and ₹408.4 crore in immovable assets, while Karthik Mohan (DMK) has declared ₹22.2 crore in movable and ₹323.9 crore in immovable assets.

Party-wise data shows that the DMK and AIADMK lead in the ₹20 crore-plus asset bracket, with 42 and 41 candidates, respectively. TVK has 22 such candidates, followed by BJP (10) and Congress (8).

Criminal disclosures remain notable. About 58 per cent of the State’s 234 constituencies have been classified as “red alert” seats, where three or more candidates have criminal cases filed against them.

Party-wise, the CPI(M) has the highest proportion of candidates with declared criminal cases at 80 per cent, followed by AIADMK (69 per cent), CPI (60 per cent), BJP (48 per cent), and DMK and TVK (40 per cent each).

In terms of education, 53.2 per cent of candidates are graduates or above. Around 16 per cent are 10th pass, and 9.1 per cent 12th pass, while 2.4 per cent are illiterate.

Candidates aged 41-50 years form the largest group in the fray, accounting for 1,259 contestants. Women remain underrepresented, with 442 candidates, about 11 per cent of the total field.

Published on April 22, 2026