Five state ministers, 21 BJP legislators, two former MLAs and senior party leaders gathered at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to welcome Pradhan, the BJP MP from Sambalpur.
Supporters raised slogans of “Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad” as they lined up on both sides of the road to welcome the former minister.
Pradhan resigned from the Union cabinet on July 25, taking “moral responsibility” for the irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.
His supporters have projected his resignation as a “heroic” step, saying he was the first minister in the Narendra Modi government to step down on “moral grounds”.
“Of the 79 MLAs, 26 legislators, including five ministers, were present at the airport to welcome Pradhan. This reflects his acceptability among party lawmakers,” a political observer said.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, however, criticised the resignation, saying, “Neither has Pradhan resigned on moral grounds nor has Prime Minister Narendra Modi sacked him. He had to tender his resignation under the pressure from students and youths of the country.”
Odisha BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and BJP state president Manmohan Samal, praised Pradhan’s decision, calling it an “exemplary step by resigning on moral grounds”.
After Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Union Minister of State for Education Pralhad Joshi took charge of the education ministry, with the government moving ahead with measures to address concerns over examination integrity.
Joshi is overseeing the ministry at a time when Parliament is debating amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, aimed at tightening penalties for paper leaks and examination-related malpractices.
The opposition, however, has continued to target the Centre over the NEET controversy, with leaders questioning the government’s handling of the examination system.
