Martin family’s political influence extends to Puducherry; will Jose Charles be a minister?

As N Rangasamy took oath as Chief Minister of Puducherry for the fifth time on Wednesday (May 13), A Namassivayam from the BJP and Malladi Krishan Rao from the NR Congress were sworn in as ministers.

With only two ministers sworn in so far, three more berths remain vacant in the five-member cabinet permitted for the Union Territory. Of these, two are expected to go to the NR Congress and one to the BJP.

According to sources, the BJP is pressuring Rangasamy to allocate the BJP quota ministerial berth to Jose Charles Martin of the Lakshiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK). During the Assembly elections, the party contested two seats as part of the NDA, and its leader Jose, “lottery king” Santiago Martin’s elder son, secured a massive victory from the Kamarajar Nagar constituency.

Will Jose Charles be a Puducherry minister?

Speaking to reporters after his victory, Jose said becoming a minister would help him implement welfare schemes more effectively for the people. Political circles indicate that Jose has been active through both the Delhi BJP leadership and the Puducherry BJP unit.

Also read: Lottery king Santiago Martin's 'Dutch booking strategy': 1 family, 3 parties, no losses

Sources also claim that BJP national president Nitin Nabin and national general secretary BL Santhosh, who attended Rangasamy’s swearing-in ceremony, discussed the possibility of inducting Jose into the cabinet and allocating an additional ministerial berth to the BJP.

Apart from this, the BJP is also said to be keen on securing the Speaker’s post, similar to the previous government. However, reports suggest that Rangasamy is not in favour of inducting Jose into the cabinet. Yet, given the political reality that the Union Territory government depends heavily on the Centre’s support, Rangasamy is believed to be under pressure to accommodate the BJP’s demands.

With the cabinet expansion scheduled for May 18, political observers believe Jose has a strong chance of becoming a minister.

Wife and son-in-law’s growing influence in TN

The development has also drawn attention because the Martin family is already politically influential in Tamil Nadu. While Aadhav Arjuna, son-in-law of Santiago Martin, is serving as a minister in Tamil Nadu, Jose is now seen as a strong contender for a ministerial post in Puducherry as well.

Also read: TN polls: Vijay isn’t the richest candidate; here’s who is

Meanwhile, Leema Rose, Santiago Martin’s wife and the MLA elected from Lalgudi constituency, is also being discussed in political circles amid claims that she played a significant role in the recent internal rift within the AIADMK.

As a result, the Martin family has emerged as one of the most politically influential families following this election season.