V. Senthilbalaji: the career, year by year
- 2006
- 2011
- 2016
- 2019
- 2021
- 2026
Elected to the Assembly 6 times: Karur, Aravakurichi, Coimbatore South
- Assembly win
- Office held
- Party
- 1996
Joins the DMK as a youth-wing organiser in Karur.
- 2000
Switches to the AIADMK under J. Jayalalithaa.
- 2006
First MLA win from Karur on the AIADMK ticket.
- 16 May 2011
Re-elected from Karur; sworn in as Minister for Transport in Jayalalithaa's cabinet — a portfolio he held until 28 July 2015 under both Jayalalithaa and OPS.
- 2016
Wins from Aravakurichi on the AIADMK ticket.
- 14 Dec 2018
Quits AIADMK and joins DMK after the post-Jayalalithaa party split.
- 2019
Wins the Aravakurichi by-election on a DMK ticket — his first DMK Assembly win.
- 7 May 2021
Returned from Karur on the DMK ticket and was sworn in as Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise in M. K. Stalin's first cabinet.
- 14 Jun 2023
Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the PMLA case linked to alleged cash-for-jobs in the Transport Department during his 2011-15 tenure as AIADMK Transport Minister; three FIRs originally registered between 2015 and 2018.
- 12 Feb 2024
Resigns as Minister while in custody; portfolio held vacant.
- 26 Sep 2024
Granted bail by the Supreme Court in the PMLA case after 471 days in custody. Sworn back into the cabinet on 28 September 2024 with the same portfolio.
- 28 Apr 2025
Resigns as Minister a second time; the Supreme Court declines the ED's plea to bar him from public office while the trial continues.
- 4 May 2026
Won Coimbatore (South) for the DMK (polling was on 23 April).
See the full 2026 result - 11 May 2026
Took oath as MLA in the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.