| Political Journey | - Joined politics in 2000
- Appointed as State Secretary of the DMK Youth Wing from 2014 to 2019
- Contested the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election on a DMK ticket from the Thiruverumbur constituency and won, marking his first electoral victory by defeating AIADMK's candidate D. Kalaichelvan
- Re-contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election from Thiruverumbur on a DMK ticket and won by approximately 49,000 votes against AIADMK's candidate P. Kumar
- Served as Tamil Nadu's Minister for School Education from May 2021 to 2026
- Served as District Secretary for Trichy district-South of the DMK party
- In 2026, contested unsuccessfully from Thiruverumbur on a DMK seat, losing to TVK candidate Navalpattu S. Viji (Viji received 42.06% of the vote, Mahesh received 37.99%)
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| Pre-Political Career | - Worked in the information technology sector for a few years after completing his studies
- Managed his family business alongside his job
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| Ministerial Tenure | - His tenure as Education Minister coincided with debates over the National Education Policy and the three-language formula, which the Tamil Nadu government opposed in favour of the state's existing two-language policy
- He was the first MLA from Thiruverumbur constituency to become a state minister
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| Research | Pursued a PhD at National College, Tiruchirappalli from 2021, focusing on Physical Activity of Skill Development Through Machine Learning, combining physical education with technology |
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| Legal Controversy | - In September 2026, came under investigation in an alleged Rs 100 crore fraud involving private school approvals
- On 16/09/2026, the Chennai CCB searched locations linked to him, including his residence and premises connected to his associates, and seized 44 documents and a laptop
- On 18/09/2026, he appeared before the CCB and was interrogated for more than eight hours
- On 26/10/2026, the Madras High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, with Justice V. Lakshminarayanan stating that granting protection could seriously affect the investigation
- On 26/10/2026, he was arrested by the Chennai CCB and remanded to judicial custody until 06/11/2026, lodged at Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai
- Police alleged that money was collected from around 177 private school managements by promising permanent recognition, school upgrades, building approvals and other government clearances, in the name of party funds
- Police said they had traced transactions worth Rs 17.26 crore so far, while the prosecution alleged overall collections could reach Rs 400 crore
- In October 2026, the Enforcement Directorate registered a case against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act
- On 28/10/2026, Udhayanidhi Stalin and P.K. Sekarbabu visited him at Puzhal Prison, and Sekarbabu said the party stood by him
- As of 28/10/2026, the allegations remain under investigation and have not been proven in court
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