He attended the Seri Kota Teachers' Training College in Kuala Lumpur before enrolling in the University of Malaya, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
[1] Parthiban was as a teacher from 1994 to 2006 at various schools in Tanjung Karang and Kuala Selangor prior to entering politics.
On 16 April 2007, despite being a relative novice in politics, Parthiban was chosen as the BN candidate in the 2007 Ijok by-election.
[1] Parthiban eventually defeated Khalid Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in a straight fight.
In the 2008 Malaysian general elections, Parthiban Karuppiah contested in the N10 Bukit Melawati, Selangor State Legislative Assembly and eventually lost to Muthiah a/l Maria Pillay from PKR by a slim majority of 297 votes.