Badruddin was not a very well known politician in the early 1990s and started as a backbencher in Parliament, when he made his electoral debut in the 1992 Jerai by-election and get elected the first time as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Jerai before it was abolished in 1995.
Badruddin then contested and won the constituency of Yan, Kedah in the 1995 general election but he was defeated in the 1999 general election to Nasharudin bin Mat Isa from (PAS), losing by 182 votes.
He defeated his opponent, Che Din bin Arshad from PAS, with a majority of 10,405.
Later that same year, he was elected as the Deputy Permanent Chairman of UMNO with 1,510 delegates voting for him.
In the 12th general election on 8 March 2008, Badruddin failed to retain his Jerai seat and lost to a newcomer from PAS, Mohd Firdaus Jaafar by a majority of 2,299 votes.