He has held public office at the municipal, provincial, and republic levels as a member of the Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Srbije, DSS).
He was raised in the city and earned a degree in French language and literature from the University of Novi Sad's Faculty of Philosophy.
[11] He was subsequently given the fifty-ninth position on the party's list in the 2014 parliamentary election; on this occasion, the DSS did not cross the electoral threshold to win representation in the assembly.
[12] The DSS formed an electoral alliance with Dveri in the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election, and Ilić received the eighteenth position on their combined list.
Ilić was not included on the DSS's proportional list in the 2012 provincial election but instead sought re-election in Novi Sad's third division; he was defeated, finishing in fourth place.
Vojvodina adopted a system of full proportional representation for the 2016 provincial election; Ilić was given the thirty-ninth position on the combined DSS–Dveri list, which did not cross the electoral threshold.
[19][20] In September of the same year, the DSS helped the Serbian Progressive Party form a new administration in the city, and Ilić was appointed as deputy mayor.
[21] Ilić was also vice-president of the DSS at the republic level during this time; in this capacity, he spoke against Serbian membership in the European Union, arguing that the country should instead form stronger alliances with Russia, China, and Kazakhstan.