T. R. Baalu

Personal life Baalu was married to his long-term love Renuka Devi (died 2025) and later to his niece Porkkodi, and has three sons and two daughters. His second son T R B Rajaa (Renuka) is considered to be his political successor, having won 3 consecutive Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from their native constituency Mannargudi and now holds high offices both in the party (as DMK IT Wing Secretary) and the Tamil Nadu Government (as Industries, IP and Commerce Minister), while his other 2 sons Selvakumaar (Ren.), Rajkumar (Por.) and the eldest daughter Devi Kanchana (Por.) take care of the businesses and institution, while the younger Manonmani (Por.) previously worked as a reporter-journalist in Tamil news channels.

Baalu's first wife Renuka Devi died on the 19th of August 2025 due to age-related ailments at the age of 79 with her husband, 2 sons and their family by her side.

Elections contested and positions held Lok Sabha Year ConstituencyParty Votes % OpponentOpponent Party Opponent Votes % Result Margin % 2024Sriperumbudur 758,611 52.63 G. Premkumar 271,582 18.84 487,029 33.79 2019 793,281 56.53 A. Vaithilingam 285,326 20.33 507,955 36.2 2014 Thanjavur 366,188 36.62 K. Parasuraman 510,307 51.03 -144,119 -14.41 2009 Sriperumbudur 352,641 44.44 A. K. Moorthy 327,605 41.28 25,036 3.16 2004Chennai South 564,578 60.41 Bader Sayeed 343,838 36.79 220,740 23.62 1999 562,221 60.03 V. Dhandayuthapani 322,037 34.39 240,184 25.64 1998 432,913 48.17 Jana Krishnamurthi 412,899 45.94 20,014 2.23 1996 538,697 61.97 H. Ganesham 199,516 22.95 339,181 39.02 1991 255,965 34.66 R. Sridharan 418,493 56.66 -162,528 -22

1986–1992 : was elected as a Member, Rajya Sabha. This is considered to be Former TN CM Dr.MGR's first electoral defeat. 1996: Elected to Lok Sabha (Eleventh) for the 1st time 1996-1998: Minister of State, Petroleum, Natural Gas and Non-Conventional Energy Sources 1998: Elected to Lok Sabha (Twelfth) for the second time 1999: Elected to Lok Sabha (Thirteenth) for the third time 1999-2003: Cabinet Minister, Environment and Forests 2004: Elected to Lok Sabha (Fourteenth) for the fourth time from Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency) 2004-2009: Cabinet minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways. 2009: Elected to Lok Sabha (Fifteenth) for the fifth time from Sriperumbudur 2019: Elected to Lok Sabha (Seventeenth) for the sixth time from Sriperumbudur 2024: Elected to Lok Sabha (Eighteenth) for the seventh time from Sriperumbudur

List of Positions Held Date / Period Position / Role June 2024 Elected to 18th Lok Sabha Member, Committee on Public Accounts(14 Aug 2024) Member of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes(16 Aug. 2024 onwards) Member, committee on Railways(26-Sep-2024 onwards) Member, Joint Committee on the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025(10-Feb-2026) May 2019 - 2024 Re-elected to 17th Lok Sabha (Six Terms) Member, Committee on Public Accounts(24 July 2019 onwards) Member, Standing Committee on Railways(13 Sept. 2019 onwards) Member, Committee of Privileges(09 Oct. 2019 onwards) Member, General Purposes Committee, Lok Sabha(21 Nov. 2019 onwards) Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs Member, Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes(16 Sept. 2022 onwards) 2009-2014 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (Five Terms) Leader, DMK Party in Parliament(May 2009 onwards) Member, Business Advisory Committee(29 Jun. 2009) Chairman, Standing Committee on Railways(31 Aug. 2009) Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Finance(16 Sep. 2009) Member, Committee on Ethics(7 Oct. 2009) Member, General Purposes Committee(19 Oct. 2009) Member, Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment(4 Nov. 2009) Member, Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management(22 Jan. 2010) Member, House Committee(9 June. 2013) 2004-2009 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (Four Terms) Union Cabinet Minister, Shipping, Road Transport & Highways(22 May 2004 - 22 May 2009) Leader of the DMK Party in Parliament Member, various Cabinet Committees including Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) Cabinet committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) etc. Member, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Coordination Committee Chairperson, Transport Ministers of SAARC countries(2007-2008) 1999 : Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (Three Terms) President (23 Oct. 2002-1 Dec. 2003) Conference of Parties (COP) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Union Cabinet Minister, Environment & Forests(13 Oct. 1999- 21 Dec. 2003) 1998-99 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (Two Terms) Member, Parliamentary Committee on Railways Member, Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs 1996-98 Elected to 11th Lok Sabha Union Minister of State, Petroleum and Natural Gas Whip, DMK Party in Parliament 1986-92 Member, Rajya Sabha Member, Public Accounts Committee Member, Committee on Rules (Rajya Sabha) 1982 - 1993 Secretary, D.M.K., Madras District Unit 1957 onwards Member, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (D.M.K.)

As a member of parliament and minister T. R. Baalu assumes the charge of Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi on 26 May 2004 Baalu is one of the prominent leaders to work towards the implementation of Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. He was handling it during his tenure as the minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. The project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal through the shallow sea sometimes called Setu Samudram, and through the chain of islands variously known as Ram Sethu or the Adam's Bridge. A few organisations are opposing the dredging of Ramasethu on religious, environmental and economical grounds. Many of these parties and organisations support implementation of this project using one of the five alternative alignments considered earlier without damaging the structure considered sacred by Hindus. During 2006, the Supreme Court Baalu quashed a case requesting a ban on the project and issues notices to Baalu and the environment ministry. With 22 km of dredging remaining, the project is held from March 2010 by a Supreme Court order seeking the Central Government to clarify the status of the bridge as a national monument. He was recruited as a minister in 2009 during the second term on UPA coalition government as it was reported that the Prime Minister was unhappy with Baalu over the corruption charges in Sethusamudram project. But he continued as the head of the DMK parliamentary party and also part of various central committees.

DMK pulled out of the ruling UPA on 20 March 2013 following widespread protests in Tamil Nadu against the central government for not taking up the concerns of Tamils in Sri Lanka in the UN resolution against the alleged human rights violation against Tamils by Sri Lankan government. Baalu, the head of MPs from the DMK party, to tender resignation in the Prime minister's office and to hand over the letter of withdrawal to the President on 20 March 2013.

On the Joint parliamentary committee constituted to examine the 2G case, Baalu was the only representative from the DMK in the committee and he, along with other opposition members, snubbed the report as "half boiled" as the draft report gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, while implicating the DMK minister A. Raja.