Now Reading: Lottery-linked firm gave Rs 260 crore to DMK and AIADMK in 2025-26
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Lottery-linked firm gave Rs 260 crore to DMK and AIADMK in 2025-26
Kolkata-based lottery firm Tiger Associates donated Rs 260 crore to the DMK and AIADMK in 2025-26, more than doubling its contributions from the previous financial year, according to Election Commission filings. The firm accounted for nearly 74 per cent of the combined Rs 352.55 crore the two parties reported.
Tiger Associates gave Rs 135 crore to the AIADMK and Rs 125 crore to the DMK. It made up nearly 84 per cent of the AIADMK's total contributions and more than 65 per cent of the DMK's. The firm's designated partner is a long-time associate of lottery magnate Santiago Martin, whose company Future Gaming and Hotel Services was the largest purchaser of electoral bonds before the scheme was scrapped in 2024. Separately, three electoral trusts contributed Rs 52 crore to the two parties.
The DMK's overall reported contributions fell from Rs 365.82 crore to Rs 191.19 crore year-on-year. Several substantial donations were made in February and March 2026, ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly election, in which the DMK lost power to the TVK.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both outlets present the same Election Commission filing figures almost verbatim, making the coverage structurally identical. The New Indian Express leads with the firm's amount, while India Today leads with the lottery king link, the distinction is purely presentational. Neither outlet adopts a critical or pro-government frame, there is no commentary on the scale of single-donor funding or the timing ahead of the election. The uniform straight-reporting treatment means the only analytical gap is the absence of any sourcing from the parties or the firm. The single watch item from both texts is the election outcome itself: the DMK lost power to the TVK in the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): newindianexpress.com (neutral report), indiatoday.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
