Student leader to education minister: Dharmendra Pradhan’s political career before the NEET row

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Saturday amid continuing protests over the alleged National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) paper leak.In a letter addressed to his “young friends”, Pradhan said he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in view of the situation that has unfolded at Jantar Mantar and in different parts of the country.His resignation brings to a close a ministerial tenure during which he oversaw the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and several reforms in higher education, school education and skill development.

Long before entering the Union Cabinet, however, Pradhan’s political journey began in student politics in Odisha.

Early life and education

Dharmendra Pradhan was born on June 26, 1969, in Talcher, Odisha, into a political family. His father, Debendra Pradhan, was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who served as a Union Minister of State.Pradhan completed his schooling and higher education in Odisha. He studied at Talcher College before earning a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar.During his college years, he became actively involved in student politics. He served as the president of the Talcher College Students’ Union, an early leadership role that marked the beginning of his political career.

Entry into student politics

Pradhan’s association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), shaped his early political career.After his stint in campus politics, he continued working with the organisation and later became its national secretary.His years in the ABVP provided organisational experience before he entered electoral politics through the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Transition to electoral politics

Pradhan entered electoral politics in 2000 when he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Pallahara constituency in Odisha.Four years later, he was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Deogarh, marking his entry into national politics.He subsequently served as a Member of the Rajya Sabha and held several organisational responsibilities within the Bharatiya Janata Party before joining the Union government.

Ministerial career

Pradhan became part of the Narendra Modi-led Union government in 2014 when he was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas.In 2017, he was elevated to the Cabinet as Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, where he handled policy decisions relating to the country’s energy sector.Following the Cabinet reshuffle in 2021, he took charge as Union Minister for Education and Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.As Education Minister, Pradhan was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, expanding skill development initiatives and supervising policies related to school and higher education.

From campus leadership to the Union Cabinet

Pradhan’s political career spans student leadership, organisational responsibilities, state politics and Parliament before his appointment to the Union Cabinet.Beginning as a student leader at Talcher College, he moved through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Bharatiya Janata Party organisation, the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha before taking charge of key ministries in the Union government.His resignation as Union Education Minister marks the latest chapter in a political journey that began on a college campus in Odisha and later extended to some of the country’s most significant ministerial portfolios.