Charupong was a member of the People's Power Party, and after its dissolution by the Constitutional Court in 2008 became a member of Pheu Thai Party. In May 2011, the party chose him as Secretary-General. Two months later, Pheu Thai won the general election. After Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's first cabinet reshuffle, Charupong was appointed Minister of Transport and Communication. When Pheu Thai Party chairman and Minister of Interior Yongyuth Wichaidit had to resign over a corruption scandal in September 2012, Charupong succeeded him in both positions. The government, that acted only in caretaker capacity after dissolving the House of Representatives in December 2013, was toppled by a military coup on 22 May 2014. The junta ordered all cabinet members to report to their headquarters, but unlike other politicians Charupong refused to turn himself in. He claims to have taken shelter at an unspecified place in Northeastern Thailand. As a consequence, the National Council for Peace and Order blocked his bank accounts and assets.