Amidst the BJP’s impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, the party has nominated its esteemed tribal leader, six-time Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, along with Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan and Odisha’s Rajya Sabha MP Ashwini Vaishnaw, to the Union Council of Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted three Cabinet-ranked ministers from Odisha on Sunday.
Rank: Cabinet
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Ashwini Vaishnaw, born on July 18, 1970, is a former IAS officer who has held several key positions in the Central government, including Minister of Railways, Minister of Communications, and Minister of Electronics & Information Technology from 2022 to 2024. He has represented Odisha in the Rajya Sabha since 2019 and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Vaishnaw began his administrative career in 1994 in the Indian Administrative Service under the Odisha cadre, where he took on various roles throughout the state. During his IAS tenure, he engaged deeply with Odisha’s developmental and governance challenges.
He serves on the Committee on Subordinate Legislation and Petitions as well as the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, and Forests, contributing significantly to legislative and policy discussions.
Rank: Cabinet
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Dharmendra Pradhan, born on June 26, 1969, retained the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat in Odisha, defeating his Biju Janata Dal rival Pranab Prakash Das by 119,836 votes. Pradhan served as the Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the previous government. An alumnus of Talcher College and Utkal University, he has also been Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel.
Rank: Cabinet
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Jual Oram, born on March 22, 1961, represented the Sundargarh constituency of Odisha as a Member of the 17th Lok Sabha. A senior BJP leader, Oram has been elected to the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 16th Lok Sabha. He won the Sundargarh seat by over 100,000 votes.
Oram has held significant Central government positions as a Cabinet minister under Prime Minister Modi. He serves as the Vice-President of the BJP and is one of the two founding members of the party in Odisha’s Legislative Assembly. Oram has also served as the state president of the BJP for over four years and was the leader of the opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly.