While Nitish Kumar and the BJP top leadership are celebrating their sensational victory in Bihar and taking all the limelight, there is one senior BJP leader who was equally instrumental in crafting the NDA’s win; yet prefers to stay away from the spotlight.
He is Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
Pradhan, who served as the party’s in-charge for Bihar, delivered a top-notch performance in his characteristic low-key and unassuming style. But this is far from his only accomplishment as a strategist from Odisha.
He was the BJP in-charge for Jharkhand in 2014, Uttarakhand in 2017, Uttar Pradesh in 2022, the Nandigram constituency in West Bengal in 2021, and Haryana in 2024. The BJP won all of them.
Madhya Pradesh in 2018 and Karnataka in 2023 remain the only elections where his efforts did not translate into victory.
The Nandigram battle in 2021 was particularly significant, as BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari defeated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in one of the most high-stakes contests in recent political history.
In 2024, Pradhan played a key role in bringing the BJP to power for the first time in his home state of Odisha, making him the natural choice for Chief Minister.
However, with the BJP losing its absolute majority at the Centre, the party did not want to risk losing a crucial MP seat by shifting Pradhan to Odisha.
Pradhan also holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, from 2014 to 2021.
With Bihar now conquered, the NDA has set its sights on West Bengal and given Pradhan’s stellar track record, it would not be surprising if he is once again entrusted with the responsibility of leading the charge.