From ABVP Activist To Education Minister: Who Is Dharmendra Pradhan, The Man At The Centre Of NEET Protest Storm
From ABVP Activist To Education Minister: Who Is Dharmendra Pradhan, The Man At The Centre Of NEET Protest Storm Published By, Last Updated: July 25
From ABVP Activist To Education Minister: Who Is Dharmendra Pradhan, The Man At The Centre Of NEET Protest Storm Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 15:10 IST Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to step down as Union Minister of Education on Saturday amid mounting pressure and protests from the CJP over the NEET paper leak scandal. Rapid Read BJP Leader Dharmendra Pradhan | File photo: PTI Dharmendra Pradhan, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who resigned as Union Minister of Education on Saturday, has been one of the prominent faces of the Narendra Modi government, handling key ministries including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Steel, Skill Development and Education. He has been associated with the BJP’s organisational work for decades and has represented both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Early Life and Political Journey Born on June 26, 1969, in Talcher, Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan is the son of former BJP leader Debendra Pradhan, who served as a Union minister. Pradhan began his political career through student politics and was associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He later rose through the BJP’s youth and organisational ranks, becoming the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 2004 and serving as a BJP national secretary.
‘Student Leader’ The year was 1997, and Odisha was gripped by controversy following an alleged question paper leak under the Congress-led government of Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik. Just a few kilometres from the Chief Minister’s private residence in Bhubaneswar, around 1,500 students gathered outside the state secretariat to demand accountability. Standing distinct among them was Dharmendra Pradhan, not yet a minister, but a high-ranking student leader serving as Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and on the verge of formally joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pradhan’s early years in student politics were defined by intense political rivalries and physical danger, as campus elections frequently turned violent. Recalling an election where Pradhan seemed poised to win, Prashant Rout, now Principal of RMD Degree College in Bhubaneswar and Pradhan’s junior at Utkal University, alleged that Pradhan was targeted and attacked by Janata Dal supporters, noting that he survived “only out of sheer luck," the New Indian Express reported. That same resilience was tested during the 1997 paper leak demonstrations. Though the 1,500-strong protest outside the secretariat began peacefully, police moved in to disperse the crowd. “We were quite scared," Rout recalled. “Pradhan was badly beaten up that time. He had a few fractures too." Despite the violence and fractures, Pradhan’s trial by fire in student activism did not deter him.
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