Odisha BJP's tug-of-war and Pradhan's homecoming

As Odisha's BJP government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, battles the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in a sharp employment dispute—BJD accusing the ruling party of inflating job figures by counting pre-2024 recruitments, while Majhi claims 45,408 government appointments and 20 lakh private jobs since June 2024—the high-profile homecoming of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 28 has intensified internal tremors.

Pradhan's rousing airport welcome, attended by five ministers and 21 MLAs, was hailed by the BJP as a "heroic sacrifice" on moral grounds amid NEET protests. Yet BJD labelled it a "sponsored damage-control exercise," and observers note it has reopened the long-standing speculation of Pradhan as the next CM.

Even with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong endorsement of Majhi, the event signals growing unease within the Odisha BJP unit over the leadership and the youth leader's potential resurgence.