Rural leaders and indigenous inhabitants like Lau Wong-fat had dominated local political scene in the early and mid-1980s.

As a new town in the 1980s, Tuen Mun was a strategic target for emerging pro-democracy activists, notably the Meeting Point.

Another pro-democracy party Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) and pro-Taipei 123 Democratic Alliance also established their bases in the 1990s.

In 1994 when the pro-democrat and pro-Taipei councillors controlled the board, the 123 Democratic Alliance defected and elected Lau to be the chairman.

Leung Kin-man of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), which rapidly developed its base in the district after the handover, took the chairmanship briefly and again became the council chairman since 2015.