Lottery baron's son Jose Charles Martin launches party in Puducherry

Puducherry, Dec 14 (PTI) Former BJP functionary Jose Charles Martin, son of 'lottery king' Santiago Martin, launched his own political party -- Lakshiya Jananayga Katchi (LJK) -- in Puducherry on Sunday.

Martin has been building a public base for himself across Puducherry through his JCM Makkal Mandram outfit, which is engaged in distributing welfare assistance to the needy in 25 out of the 30 constituencies in the union territory. He converted the outfit into a political party now.

The 39-year-old Jose had formerly been with the BJP from 2015 but distanced himself from the saffron party in 2024 following a disagreement with the local leadership.

Launching the party, Martin said that his goal is to ensure Puducherry emerged as a developed union territory.

He said that his party would contest the forthcoming Assembly polls with a view to ensuring employment for the youth and also meeting the requirements of the people at large. PTI COR KH