Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has emerged as one of the key figures in the political debate surrounding the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, with Opposition parties and protest groups demanding his resignation. However, government sources have indicated that the senior BJP leader is likely to continue in the Union Cabinet.
Born on June 26, 1969, in Odisha’s Angul district, Pradhan began his political career through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He was elected as an MLA from Pallahara in 2000 before entering the Lok Sabha in 2004. Over the years, he held several organisational positions within the BJP, including serving as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He currently represents Sambalpur in the Lok Sabha and has previously handled portfolios such as Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development before becoming Union Education Minister in 2024.
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Pradhan holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Utkal University, completed in 1990. According to his election affidavit, his family’s combined net worth stands at around ₹6.38 crore. His personal assets are valued at nearly ₹1.99 crore, while his spouse, Mridula Thakur, has declared assets worth over ₹4 crore. The affidavit also lists investments in bank deposits, mutual funds, insurance policies, residential properties, agricultural land, and vehicles.
The affidavit also mentions three pending criminal cases related to protests and public demonstrations dating back to 2005, 2006 and 2010, while two cases registered in 2019 have been closed after police submitted final reports. Despite the ongoing controversy over the NEET issue, Pradhan remains one of the BJP’s senior leaders with a long administrative and organisational career.
