In the early hours of June 14, 2023, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Tamil Nadu Power Minister V Senthilbalaji in a money laundering case stemming from the cash-for-jobs scam during his previous tenure as an AIADMK (ADMK for short) minister. When he lost his ministerial post, underwent heart treatment and spent more than a year in jail, there were many who felt it was time to write his political obituary.