New Delhi, June 9: Senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan was inducted into the Narendra Modi cabinet for the third time on Sunday. In the previous Modi government, Pradhan served as the Minister of Education and Skill Development.
Pradhan secured a victory in Sambalpur, Odisha, defeating Pranab Prakash Das of the Biju Janata Dal. Widely known as the "Ujjwala Man," he holds the record as the longest-serving Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. Pradhan began his tenure as the Minister of State (In-charge) in 2014 and was promoted to Cabinet rank in 2017. He commenced his second consecutive term at the Ministry on May 31, 2019.
Born on June 26, 1969, Dharmendra Pradhan is the son of former Union Minister Debendra Pradhan. His political journey began with his Lok Sabha debut in 2004 from Deogarh, Odisha. Although he lost the 2009 assembly elections, he rose to become the BJP national secretary and later its general secretary.
In 2012, Pradhan was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. When Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014, Pradhan was appointed as the Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas with independent charge. In 2017, he was elevated to Cabinet rank, retaining his portfolio and gaining additional responsibility for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He continued as a cabinet minister in the second Modi government and was assigned the Ministry of Education and Skill Development in 2021.
Pradhan began his political career in 1983 as an ABVP activist and was elected its secretary. He has also served as an election in-charge in Bihar and managed party affairs in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Talcher Autonomous College and Utkal University, and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Sambalpur University.
