After NEET Resignation, Dharmendra Pradhan’s Home Visits Signal a Shift Back to Odisha Politics

After facing intense heat from the student community, Opposition parties, and the media, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was left with little choice but to step down following the NEET paper leak controversy, despite retaining the support of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. His resignation was the core demand of the student-led Cockroach Janta Party to end their 36-day agitation at Jantar Mantar. Following his exit, rumour mills went into overdrive. Would he be assigned a new ministry, or roped in as an election strategist for the upcoming Punjab and Uttar Pradesh polls? Against this backdrop, his recent visits to his home state of Odisha—where he received a rousing welcome from local BJP leaders—are raising eyebrows. Was it a routine visit, or is he planning to base himself back in the state? Immediate speculation suggests an organizational shake-up in Odisha, where Pradhan could be handed a larger regional mandate focused on bolstering the BJP’s grassroots presence. With state elections less than three years away, political analysts believe Pradhan could well emerge as the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for Odisha.