President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday accepted Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the Union Council of Ministers and directed Cabinet Minister Pralhad Joshi to take charge of the Ministry of Education in addition to his existing portfolios, according to a communication from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The decision came after several days of demands for Pradhan’s ouster and was formalised only hours after he publicly announced his resignation on X.

The resignation was accepted on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the presidential communication said Joshi would be assigned the education portfolio with immediate effect under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

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NEET protests and Pradhan’s resignation

Pradhan’s exit followed weeks of student and youth-led protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam and demands for greater accountability in competitive examinations.

The demonstrations, which had intensified into one of the sharpest political challenges for the government in recent years, ended after the resignation and the government’s assurance that the protesters’ key demands had been accepted.

In his resignation letter, Pradhan said the step was meant to keep the row from harming students’ futures and to prevent the situation from being exploited.

He wrote, “From the very first day, I took responsibility and never turned away from this situation.” The former minister also said he had remained focused on ensuring that meritorious students were not disadvantaged by the controversy.

Joshi takes over the Education Ministry

Before taking charge of the Education Ministry, Pralhad Joshi had already built a long parliamentary career. The BJP leader has won the Dharwad Lok Sabha seat five times since his first victory in 2004.

Born in Vijayapura on November 27, 1962, he studied at K.S. Arts College, Hubli, and Karnataka University, Dharwad, where he completed his bachelor’s degree.

Winning the Dharwad Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 2004 marked the beginning of Joshi’s parliamentary journey.

He has returned to Parliament from the constituency in every election since. After handling Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines between 2019 and 2024, he now leads the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy ministries.

After Pradhan’s resignation, he now adds the education ministry to his responsibilities.

A five-time MP, the latest assignment makes him responsible for another major cabinet brief after his return to the Modi government in 2024.

This move places the senior BJP leader with experience in national-level governance at the centre of a ministry that has been under intense public scrutiny over the examination controversy.

Joshi’s declared assets

Joshi’s public assets disclosure, filed for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and hosted on the PM India website, showed that he and his family had declared assets worth over Rs 21 crore.

The affidavit listed his own movable assets at Rs 2.72 crore and immovable property at Rs 11.24 crore.

It also recorded movable assets worth about Rs 5.94 crore and agricultural land valued at Rs 86.39 lakh in the name of his wife, Jyoti Joshi, while the dependent daughter’s movable assets were put at Rs 32.03 lakh.

The filing also showed liabilities of Rs 8.01 crore across the family.

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FAQs

Q1: Who is Pralhad Joshi?

Pralhad Joshi is a senior BJP leader and Union Cabinet minister who has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Education.

Q2: Why was Pralhad Joshi given charge of the Education Ministry?

He was assigned the portfolio after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan from the post of Union Education Minister.