New Delhi: Instrumental to the BJP’s return in Haryana last year after popular perception and exit polls had written the party off, he has done it again as the BJP’s election in-charge, with the NDA registering a historic win in the Bihar assembly elections Friday. A ‘quiet’ and ‘simple’ worker known to avoid the spotlight, he was entrusted with Bihar late on 25 September, and many felt he did not have much time. Dharmendra Pradhan, however, has still delivered.
‘Close’ to Amit Shah and often called ‘Modi’s most trusted lieutenant’, Dharmendra Pradhan is the man behind the NDA’s massive success in Bihar. He worked closely with the Union Home Minister, not only strategising but also persuading rebel candidates who could have played spoilsport in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar now appears set to secure a fifth consecutive term, as the latest trends show the NDA winning 197 of 243 seats in the state.
“Time was less. There were many loose threads to tie up…. He was given the task of ensuring the smooth implementation of the party’s strategy—whether persuading rebel candidates, working out the campaign strategy, or even deciding on the ticket distribution. He is a known strategist who has delivered in several elections. He is also an OBC face, and that, too, helped garner support of the community in Bihar, where caste is a significant factor,” said a senior BJP leader.
Starting his political career in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Dharmendra Pradhan went on to become the longest-serving minister for petroleum and natural gas in India and is now the Union Education Minister. For many in the party, he is the “Ujjwala Man” for his “crucial” role in implementing the Modi government’s flagship schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Moreover, his strategic abilities and organisational skills have ensured his success as the election-in-charge in multiple states over the years.
“Although the party is of karyakartas and workers, Dharmendra Pradhan ji was a lucky mascot in Bihar in 2010, as well. He knows Bihar inside out. And, I think the way he was monitoring, encouraging, and energising all the cadre was wonderful. He has had a very strong grip and understanding of Bihar,” said Guru Prakash Paswan, the BJP national spokesperson, adding, “Amit Shah ji’s leadership also energised the cadre. So, it is a collective win of the BJP and the alliance.”
In Bihar, another senior party leader explained that coordination was a major issue, and Pradhan played a key role in keeping everyone together. The seat distribution, for instance, took longer than usual, with Pradhan ensuring everyone was on board, a leader explained. “Whether it was Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the issues it had with JD(U), or ensuring the rebel candidates did not spoil the BJP candidates’ chances, he used to hold meetings every day and traveled across constituencies within the limited time he had,” said a Bihar BJP leader.
The BJP workers in the state point to the personal rapport that Pradhan shares with Nitish Kumar, especially as his father, Debendra Pradhan, was considered a close friend of the Bihar Chief Minister. “Whenever there used to be any disagreement or tension in the NDA alliance, the point person for the BJP used to be Pradhan. He is a patient implementor. It is not just about being in incharge. He has always maintained a close relationship with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, too,” another BJP leader said, while explaining Pradhan’s close ties with the state.
Explaining Pradhan’s role in the elections, Siddharth Shambhu, vice-president of Bihar BJP, said Pradhan’s rapport with party leaders, including that of JD(U), helped tremendously. “Dekhiye unka Bihar se puraana sambandh hai (He has old relations with Bihar). It is because of his cordial relations with the BJP and JD(U) leaders that the seat-sharing exercise was carried out so smoothly. Even when there were a few issues, he used to get them resolved amicably,” he said.
Whether travelling across the state, covering most districts in Bihar, holding meetings with party leaders, strategising the party’s campaign, or coordinating with alliance partners, Pradhan has ensured smooth party functioning in Bihar. “Since the BJP began distributing its share of tickets, the party had come under fire from several leaders, who were denied a ticket. Several neglected leaders filed nominations as Independents. Apart from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it was Dharmendra Pradhan who pacified such leaders and made them work for the party candidate, owing to his good tuning with the Bihar leader,” said another party leader.
Another party leader said that right from working out the micro details, like which leaders should campaign in which constituency, among other such decisions, Pradhan regularly interacted with workers either in person or over phone calls. “Unke karishma ka laabh poore NDA ko hua. Unka coordination A-one tha (His magic worked for the entire party. His coordination has been A-one),” explained a party functionary.
And, Bihar is not his only big success.
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Dharmendra Pradhan’s other successes
As the election incharge, Dharmendra Pradhan has enjoyed success in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, Uttarakhand in 2017, Jharkhand in 2014, and West Bengal’s Nandigram in 2021. The state he could not win for the BJP in 2018 was Madhya Pradesh, and another state was Karnataka in 2023.
He also played a role in helping the party retain Chhattisgarh in 2008.
In 2022, Dharmendra Pradhan, as election incharge in Uttar Pradesh, helped the BJP win 255 of 403 seats. “He played a crucial role in balancing caste equations and kept the focus on winning seats. He used to have meetings with party workers daily and even travelled across the state to understand the issues in a more nuanced manner,” said a senior BJP leader from UP.
A native of Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan played a major role in his state, as well, not only building the BJP’s presence but also ensuring it came to power for the first time in 2024. He was the obvious choice for Odisha chief minister, but the BJP did not want to lose an MP after its tally dropped to 240 in the Lok Sabha election. After Mohan Charan Manjhi’s government completed its one-year anniversary in the state of Odisha, many have been pointing to the declining influence of Dharmendra Pradhan in the state’s affairs.
Many within the BJP, however, point to the win in Nandigram as a true test of his political abilities. The BJP could not come to power in the state, but Dharmendra Pradhan’s organisational skills and persistence helped Suvendu Adhikari defeat Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 1,700 votes. Pradhan was appointed as the BJP’s election in-charge for the Nandigram constituency.
In Haryana, winning 48 seats, the BJP formed the government for the third consecutive time under Pradhan’s strategising. “He is soft-spoken and extremely quiet. His strategy focused on breaking the equation between the Jats & the non-Jats and uniting the party workers. Many within the party refer to him as Modi’s trusted lieutenant, and he has always proved this right,” explained a central BJP leader.
“In Haryana, when no one was quite sure of a victory, he was of the firm view that the party would come to power. He used to hold meetings focused on executing the party’s strategy till late into each night. He even worked on minute details, such as which leaders should campaign where. This shows how committed he was to the task assigned to him,” he added.
However, the BJP, despite having Dharmendra Pradhan as the party’s election in-charge, narrowly lost to the Kamal Nath-led Congress in Madhya Pradesh in 2018. The Congress, meanwhile, emerged as the single-largest party, with 114 seats. After the results, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party formed the government, with Kamal Nath becoming the chief minister.
Dharmendra Pradhan has faced other ups and downs, as well. In Karnataka, he handled the BJP’s affairs in two different periods. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the in-charge of different states, including Karnataka. Afterwards, he served as the election in-charge for the 2023 Karnataka assembly polls. When the party lost the elections, many pointed out that it had focused more on national issues. Taking up the challenge, he helped the BJP win the state’s 2024 elections.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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