Section 04 · 1997 – 2026
Political Journey
A chronological record of the offices he has held and the elections he has contested, results included. Each entry cites its source. Offices are listed in order, not ranked.
- First recorded role · ABVP unit president1997
- National Commission for Scheduled Castes2017
- Union Council of Ministers2021
- Rajya Sabha terms (Madhya Pradesh)2
-
19971997 – 2001
Student organisation
President of the ABVP unit at Dr. Ambedkar Government College, Chennai, while studying law. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting records that he joined the ABVP and then the RSS in 1997.
Rajya Sabha biodata -
20012001 – 2005
Dharma Rakshana Samiti, Chennai
Held various positions in the Dharma Rakshana Samiti in Chennai, according to his Rajya Sabha biodata.
Rajya Sabha biodata -
20062006 – 2014 · Tamil Nadu
BJP State SC Morcha
State Vice-President of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha in Tamil Nadu from 2006 to 2009, then State President from 2009 to 2014. His 2011 election affidavit, as transcribed by ADR, records that he contested the Rasipuram Assembly seat that year. He was not elected.
Rajya Sabha biodata
Plate 04.1Addressing a press conference in Tamil Nadu. -
20142014 – 2017 · National
National Secretary, SC Morcha
National Secretary of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha. In the same years he was a member of the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Rajya Sabha biodata -
20172017 – 2020
Vice-Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes
The fifth National Commission for Scheduled Castes was constituted on 1 June 2017, with Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria as Chairman and Dr. L. Murugan as Vice-Chairman. The Commission is a constitutional body.
NCSC Annual Report -
2020March 2020 – July 2021
State President, BJP Tamil Nadu
He was appointed President of the party's Tamil Nadu unit in March 2020. The Ministry's profile notes he was the first from the Arunthathiyar community to hold the post. In the 2021 Assembly election he contested Dharapuram and was not elected.
MIB profile
Plate 04.2A photograph published in March 2020, the month of his appointment as State President. -
20217 July · 27 September
Minister of State; Rajya Sabha
Sworn in as a Union Minister of State on 7 July 2021. He was assigned to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and took charge at Information & Broadcasting on 8 July. Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in September 2021, he began his first term on 27 September 2021.
PIB communiqué · 7 Jul 2021 -
2024April · June
Second Rajya Sabha term; new portfolios
Re-elected to the Rajya Sabha, he began his second term on 3 April 2024. He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Nilgiris and was not elected. The portfolio communiqué of 10 June 2024 named him Minister of State in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He assumed charge at Information & Broadcasting on 11 June 2024.
PIB communiqué · 10 Jun 2024
Plate 04.311 June 2024: with Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, on the day he assumed charge. -
2026Present
Avanashi, and continuing in office
He contested the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Avanashi (SC). The Election Commission's results record him in second place, behind the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate. He continues as Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and for Parliamentary Affairs, and as a Member of the Rajya Sabha. His current term runs to 2 April 2030.
Election Commission of India
Plate 04.4Speaking to the media during the April 2026 campaign in Tamil Nadu.