Dharmendra Pradhan Biography

Dharmendra Pradhan is a famous Indian Politician and Minister of Education, who was born on Jun 26, 1969 in Talcher, Odisha, India. Find Dharmendra Pradhan age, wife, net worth, height, weight, education, career, family, images, biography & more updates. Get information about Dharmendra Pradhan’s all key achievements or accomplishments, including professional and personal life detail.

Personal Profile About Dharmendra Pradhan

Dharmendra Pradhan is an Indian politician. He is a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has served as India's Union Minister of Education since 2021. He represents the Sambalpur constituency in Odisha in the Lok Sabha. He became the longest-serving Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas in Indian history from 2014 to 2021. Dharmendra was born to former Union Minister Debendra Pradhan.

The Dharmendra Pradhan biography shows that he became active in student politics through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in 1983 while studying at Talcher College, where he was later elected president of the student union. He joined the BJP in 1998. He earned the nickname Ujjwala Man for his role in the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana cooking gas scheme.

Dharmendra Pradhan Resignation Demand

In July 2026, Dharmendra Pradhan resignation demand was raised during nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2026 medical entrance examination and CBSE's On Screen Marking system issues.

Opposition parties, student organizations, and the Cockroach Janta Party held a large protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding that Pradhan step down as education minister. State-level protests were held in Guwahati, Chennai, Patna, and Bengaluru. Pradhan organized a re-NEET exam in response but did not resign.

Dharmendra Pradhan Education

Dharmendra Pradhan education includes a graduation from Talcher College in Odisha, where he first became involved in student politics, followed by a postgraduate Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from Utkal University in Bhubaneswar. He is now overseeing India's National Education Policy 2020 as Union Education Minister.

Dharmendra Pradhan Daughter

Dharmendra Pradhan daughter is Naimisha Pradhan. She is a Senior Associate at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. She completed her master of laws degree from Tufts University in the United States in 2023. In July 2026, she became the subject of online criticism during CJP protests. Critics questioned her decision to study abroad. She deactivated her Instagram account after the backlash.

Dharmendra Pradhan Caste

Dharmendra Pradhan caste background traces to the Chasa community, which falls under the Other Backward Classes category in Odisha. He belongs to an OBC family from Talcher in Angul district. His father, Debendra Pradhan, was also a prominent BJP politician from the same region.

Dharmendra Pradhan Age

Dharmendra Pradhan age is 57 Years old. He was born on 26 June 1969, in Talcher, in the Angul district of Odisha, India. He grew up in an industrial region known for coal mining and heavy industry.