Why Pradhan's homecoming has set the cat among pigeons in Odisha
A resignation in New Delhi has resulted in the politics in Odisha hotting up. While it was watching the fast-paced developments in neighbouring West Bengal
A resignation in New Delhi has resulted in the politics in Odisha hotting up. While it was watching the fast-paced developments in neighbouring West Bengal, the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister and him receiving a hero's welcome have sparked speculation over the BJP heavyweight's next political move. For the uninitiated, Dharmendra Pradhan, who's the Lok Sabha MP from Sambalpur, is credited for building the party's organisational muscles in Odisha. He commands the loyalty of a large number of MLAs and ministers, and is an alternative power centre in the state. Read Full Story While the BJP projected Pradhan's Odisha homecoming as a show of strength, political observers in Bhubaneswar see it as the start of speculation about the leader's next role in the state where he built the saffron party from scratch. The reception at Bhubaneswar airport, attended by several Odisha ministers and MLAs, made many ask if the BJP was planning to assign the top job in the state to him. Just the buzz that Pradhan could be positioned for the CM's role has unnerved some in Odisha's political circles, say experts. The circumstances of Pradhan's resignation in New Delhi and the political mood in Odisha, however, make these speculations far from straightforward. Two Odisha-based political observers and an insider in the BJP's political circle in Odisha say, while Pradhan remains one of the BJP's most formidable leaders in the state, the road ahead would be based on calculations of the party high-command. However, they see him as a rightful claimant to the CM's post. Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister after the CJP-led agitation over alleged examination irregularities demanded he quit from the post on the grounds of accountability. Pradhan's return to the east-coastal state has ignited speculation over whether the saffron party is scripting a role change for the leader who's been part of the Narendra Modi Cabinet since 2014. Though Pradhan has resigned as a Union minister, he continues to be the Sambalpur MP. A Bhubaneswar-based journalist, who spoke to India Today Digital on condition of anonymity, says speculation about Pradhan's return to state politics has unsettled internal equations and "set the cat among the pigeons". We'll get into the explanation of why the journalist said so. But before that, let's first have a look at how Pradhan's resignation has gone down with people in Odisha. A HERO'S WELCOME, BUT ALSO AN IMAGE RESET FOR PRADHAN? Bhubaneswar-based senior journalist and political commentator Rajaram Satpathy says the optics of Pradhan's welcome at the Bhubaneswar airport were significant and noteworthy. "Having relinquished his post as Union education minister in the face of fierce agitation over the NEET-UG question paper leak, Dharmendra Pradhan came home Tuesday [July 28] for the first time as an MP. There was, however, a good crowd at the airport to welcome him. The scene was reminiscent of the welcome NDA MPs gave him outside Parliament recently. Five of 16 ministers of the Mohan Charan Majhi-led government and 21 party MLAs were on hand to receive him," Satpathy tells India Today Digital.
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