 He is the son of E. V. K. Sampath and grandson of "Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's brother" Krishnasamy.In 2009 Lok Sabha election, he lost to M. Ganeshmurthi of the MDMK by 49,336 votes in Erode constituency.He was appointed as President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee by All India Congress Committee Chief Sonia Gandhi on 31 October 2014, followed by the resignation of B. S. Gnanadesikan.In the 2019 Lok Sabha election he lost to O. P. Ravindranath Kumar in Theni (Lok Sabha constituency).He is son of former chief minister and current deputy chief minister of tamilnadu O. Panneerselvam.E.