Anita Katyal | Will Pradhan Be Next Odisha CM? Diggy, Nath Fret After Datia Win!

Will former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan replace Mohan Charan Majhi as the next Odisha chief minister? Speculation in this regard picked up speed soon after Mr Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet following the unrelenting student protests over the Neet exam paper leaks. On landing in Odisha after his resignation, Mr Pradhan undertook a road trip to his parliamentary constituency Sambalpur where he addressed a public rally, spoke positively about Gen Z and went on to invoke Odia pride which was also the BJP’s main campaign theme in the last Assembly election. En route to Sambalpur, Mr Pradhan was accorded a warm welcome by party cadres, sending out a clear message that the former minister’s resignation has not impacted his popularity in his home state. Mr Pradhan plans to undertake an extensive tour of the state in the coming days which has fuelled chatter that this is all in preparation for his appointment as chief minister of Odisha in the near future. In fact, Mr Pradhan had hoped to occupy the chief minister’s kursi when the BJP wrested the state from the well-entrenched Biju Janata Dal two years ago but preference for a tribal leader denied him the post then. Though forced to step down as education minister, Mr Pradhan continues to enjoy the confidence of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leadership which is expected to rehabilitate him at the earliest opportunity.

After avoiding Parliament for nearly three weeks, Union home minister Amit Shah broke his silence a day before the Monsoon Session came to a close, stating that he was ready to respond to a debate on last month’s student protests over the Neet exam paper leaks. The offer was summarily rejected by the Congress-led opposition, which had stalled proceedings to press its demand for the same debate and a response from the home minister on the July 20 police action against the Jantar Mantar student protesters. But the question being asked is why did the home minister take so long to respond to the Opposition’s demand. The growing view in the Capital’s political circles is that Mr Shah’s readiness to reply to a discussion was linked to the ongoing student protests in Jharkhand which took a serious turn last week when protesters were lathi-charged by the local police. Since the Jharkhand government is run by the JMM-Congress coalition, it can be safely surmised that Mr Shah’s reply would have put the Congress in the dock, shifting the focus away from the Delhi violence. Well aware that the belated offer of a debate was a trap, the Congress wriggled out of a potentially difficult situation by upping the ante and demanding Mr Shah’s resignation.

These days, the Bharatiya Janata Party is constantly being accused of over-centralisation. The Parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body, it is said, is barely consulted on key issues while chief ministers line up for an audience with the BJP’s top leadership for approval of their major policies and appointments. From all accounts, the BJP appears to have taken a cue in these matters from the Congress which has always had a “high command” culture. For instance, when the Karnataka Cabinet was expanded earlier this month after several rounds of discussion, the list of new ministers was released by K.C. Venugopal, Congress general secretary in charge of organisation. This was highly unusual as such announcements are normally made by the chief minister concerned for it is his prerogative to pick his team. However, it is known that Congress chief ministers, over the years, were required to get the final go ahead for their ministerial appointments from the party leadership. In many cases, they camped in Delhi for days for consultations. But the names were announced by the chief minister to keep up the façade that he enjoys functional autonomy. Clearly, this façade has now been done away with.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh have reason to be concerned after the Congress won the Datia byelection by defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The reason: The Datia victory is the Congress’s first Assembly bypoll win in Madhya Pradesh since Jitu Patwari took charge as its state unit president over two years ago. Mr Patwari has been struggling to establish himself since then. The Datia win has come as a godsend as it has raised his profile. This is exactly what must be worrying the senior Congress leaders. Known to be local “satraps” with considerable influence over the state Congress cadres, both Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are now keen to use this influence to promote their sons. Mr Singh’s son Jaivardhan Singh is a member of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly while Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election after winning from Chhindwara in the 2019 election. It is not good news for the two sons if other younger politicians like Jitu Patwari, start making a mark in state politics.