Setback in Delhi, not Odisha: Why Dharmendra Pradhan remains undiminished in state

A senior BJP leader admitted that Pradhan’s resignation is an act of “political accountability” rather than a reflection of his “diminished standing” within the party.

“Despite his resignation, he (Pradhan) got support from the party’s top brass as BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Home minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders endorsed his efforts in introducing reforms in the country’s education sector. There was little indication that he has fallen out of favour with the BJP’s top leadership,” said the BJP leader.

The backing of the BJP’s top leadership even after resigning under public pressure assumes significance as the party strategically develops a narrative on Pradhan’s “political responsibility”, “sacrifice” and “national interest over self”.

The Opposition, however, framed Pradhan’s resignation as a victory of “youth power” and a sign of the minister’s failure. Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik said the resignation was “victory for Gen Z” and congratulated them.

“Accountability and sensitivity to public opinion are integral values of a strong democracy. Nobody is above the will of the people. The voices of our people, especially the youth, deserve to be heard. The future of India belongs to the youth,” he wrote on X.

Influence in state BJP

Though what role the BJP will assign to Pradhan now is unclear, party sources in Odisha rule out his sidelining, arguing it was Pradhan’s hard work since 2014 that helped the party expand its footprint in Odisha and come to power in the 2024 Assembly polls. He was also a key figure in bringing potential leaders from the BJD and Congress into the party fold to strengthen the BJP in several constituencies.

BJP leaders also acknowledge a majority of the party’s 78 MLAs were Pradhan’s picks, while nearly 40% of Odisha’s 16-member Cabinet is considered loyal to Pradhan.

“Barely any leader except Pradhan in the Odisha BJP has a hold over 147 Assembly constituencies. He has earned it through his hard work over the years. The support he got from his loyalists during the recent controversy is a clear proof of his clout in the state BJP,” said another BJP leader.

Already in the eye of the storm over students’ protest, when the Opposition trained its guns on Pradhan and sought his resignation, the former minister received support from his colleagues in Parliament, several Cabinet ministers in Odisha, and district units as well.

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, joined by as many as 11 of the BJP’s 20 MPs from Odisha, had hit back at BJD and Patnaik for demanding Pradhan’s resignation, accusing the former chief minister of “stooping to new low”. Odisha Cabinet minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had also come out in Pradhan’s support and questioned the credibility of the protests.

Similarly, the BJP had organised rallies in multiple Odisha districts in support of Pradhan, burning effigies of Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former CM Patnaik for siding with the protesters.

Odisha CM Mohan Majhi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal, who refrained from making any statements in support of Pradhan during the protests, took to social media on Saturday to extend solidarity after his resignation.

While Samal hailed Pradhan’s “integrity and administrative acumen”, saying his “sacrifice will create an example”, Majhi said Pradhan’s decision to resign reflects his “deep principle and an unwavering dedication to public service”.

However, senior BJP leader Baijayant Panda, who is frequently vocal on various issues on X, refrained from making any direct comments after Pradhan’s resignation, only sharing the BJP national president’s post.

Vacuum in Odisha leadership

Pradhan’s exit from the Union Cabinet is likely to create a vacuum in Odisha’s representation in Delhi considering the clout he enjoyed both in the party and governance, in comparison to his Cabinet colleague Jual Oram, who is also from the state.

His departure from a key position in the Modi Cabinet may also alter the internal power balance in the Odisha BJP as Pradhan’s exit may pave the way for other Odisha leaders to join the Union Cabinet and emerge as a new power centre or point of coordination between the state and central leadership.

Amid speculation over his next course of action, Pradhan loyalists in the Odisha BJP said he would be better suited to a more active organisational role given his experience and past successes as an election in-charge.

Whether his departure from the Union Cabinet would impact his electoral prospects remains to be seen, but people in his Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency say it may not have much of an impact. Sambalpur BJP president Ramachandra Meher said Pradhan’s “sacrifice” for the youths would rather consolidate his position in the days to come. “Whenever he comes to Odisha and Sambalpur, he will receive even a grander welcome than he did as a Union minister,” Meher told The Indian Express.