By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: When Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was given rousing welcome on arrival at Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Friday , at the same time, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was holding State Cabinet Meeting at State Secretariat , indirectly restricting his Cabinet members attendance during the show, aimed to publicised much hyped Bihar elections, where Union Minister Pradhan was poll in-charge and was partly credited for massive victory of NDA.
Only 1 Minister , Higher Education , Sports and Youth Services, Suraj Suryabanshi was present during the welcome show while few MLAs including Babu Singh of Bhubaneswar and Tankadhar Tripathy of Jharsuguda , senior leaders close to Pradhan, Golak Mohapatra, Ex-President Samir Mohanty and Bhubaneswar leader Jagannath Pradhan were among those leading faces were present. No other known faces were seen at Airport.
Pradhan even skipped BJP State Party Office during his roadshow and went straight to Cuttack to attend Dr HK Mahatab birth anniversary celebrations and later travelled to Bhadrak , home turf of State President Manmohan Samal.
Earlier signs of strain appeared during Modi’s June 2025 Odisha visit, where Pradhan took a low profile (e.g., his images were absent from major cut-outs), contrasting his usual lead role in state events.
These dynamics predate the November 2025 elections and appear more tied to Majhi’s efforts to consolidate as the state’s “top BJP leader” amid party rifts over governance challenges (e.g., law-and-order issues).
The Nuapada win, in particular, has been hailed as a personal boost for Majhi, potentially strengthening his hand without directly challenging Pradhan.
The election results have reinforced BJP’s momentum in both states without triggering conflict—instead, they’ve been leveraged to project cohesion. Any deeper “power fighting” remains speculative and rooted in chronic factional undercurrents rather than these specific outcomes.
On November 21, 2025, shortly after the Bihar results, Pradhan arrived in Odisha for a two-day visit to celebrate the NDA’s win. He was given a grand welcome by BJP workers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, where he held “victory parades.” During his speeches, Pradhan explicitly congratulated Majhi, state BJP president Manmohan Samal, and party workers for the “thumping victory” in Nuapada, framing it as a parallel endorsement of BJP’s governance model alongside Bihar.
Pradhan described both results as rejections of “divisive” opposition politics (e.g., Congress) and endorsements of PM Modi’s leadership. No reports indicate discord during the events; instead, they highlight unity.
While the recent results haven’t sparked a fight, there are longstanding reports of underlying tensions within the Odisha BJP unit, including a perceived “growing distance” between Pradhan (a veteran leader and former state BJP face) and Majhi (a tribal MLA elevated to CM in June 2024 over higher-profile aspirants like Pradhan).
Majhi was once viewed as Pradhan’s protégé, but recent developments—like Majhi’s closer proximity to PM Modi and his independent leadership in the Nuapada campaign (Pradhan was notably absent)—have fueled speculation of shifting power equations.
Factionalism exists, with groups aligned to Pradhan, MP Baijayant Panda, and others vying for influence. Majhi’s first one-on-one meeting with Pradhan in 14 months (August 2025) focused on education reforms but coincided with rumors of cabinet reshuffles, highlighting ongoing internal buzz.
The Bihar assembly election results (where the NDA secured a decisive victory) and the Nuapada by-election results in Odisha (where BJP candidate Jay Dholakia won by a margin of over 83,000 votes) have not created or escalated any overt power fighting between Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Both outcomes were strong wins for the BJP, and public interactions between the two leaders in the immediate aftermath reflect mutual support rather than conflict.
Bihar Assembly Elections (November 2025): The NDA, led by BJP and JD(U), won 202 out of 243 seats, with BJP securing 89. Pradhan served as the BJP’s election in-charge and was credited for the campaign’s success.
Nuapada By-Election (November 2025): Held after the death of the sitting BJD MLA, this was the first major electoral test for Majhi’s government 18 months in. BJP’s win pushed BJD to third place, signaling continued voter support for the ruling party in a former opposition stronghold.
