NDA victory in Bihar: Another feather in Dharmendra Pradhan's strategic cap

New Delhi: In 2015, after breaking ranks with the BJP, Nitish Kumar had, at an official public function, fondly referred to Dharmendra Pradhan as a fellow Bihari, which summarily mirrored the bond the duo enjoyed right from the days of the Vajpayee government. Although Pradhan is from Odisha, Kumar treated him more like a Bihari, a link he cherished right from his days as a minister in the Vajpayee government.

Dharmendra Pradhan's father, Debendra Pradhan, was a minister of state in the Vajpayee government (1999-2004) and Nitish Kumar has known the Pradhan family since then.

Pradhan's association with Bihar started with the 2010 assembly polls when he spent around two months in the state. The bond strengthened with him getting nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the state in 2012.


Pradhan has been involved in five elections in Bihar so far, both Lok Sabha and assembly polls. When Nitish Kumar had left the NDA in 2014, it was Pradhan who requested him to re-consider his move. In 2022, it was he who met Kumar when there was speculation that he may leave the NDA again.

Pradhan's rapport with Nitish, and the trust he enjoys with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, helped his case to again successfully manage the Bihar assembly polls.

This time's Bihar victory is yet another feather in the cap of the ace BJP poll manager, who is also the country's longest-serving petroleum minister, reflecting once again the trust that the party's top leadership has in him. He is now handling the education ministry -- a highly sensitive ministry, especially given the RSS' increased interest in the education sector.

Pradhan has emerged as an effective election manager in the Hindi heartland as he had successfully managed Uttar Pradesh in 2022. Prior to that, Pradhan managed the polls in Uttarakhand and several other states, veering his party to victory. He supervised BJP's work in Nandigram assembly seat in 2021 -- a seat lost by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

However, during his tenure as poll in-charge, the BJP faced a setback in Karnataka.

By leading BJP's attack against BJD in his home state of Odisha and ensuring both his and his party's victory in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls, he has evolved as a leader in the electoral politics of the country.

His hands-on approach and fine-tuning of strategy in the recent assembly polls in Haryana, which was an uphill task, elevated his stature within the party. The BJP's victory in Haryana despite all odds has helped the party change the narrative in its favour after facing a setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.