Pralhad Joshi steps into education hot seat | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The void left by the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister has been immediately filled by the BJP-led govt with Karnataka’s experienced parliamentarian and union minister Pralhad Joshi.Joshi is a two-time Union minister who previously handled the sensitive ministry of law and parliamentary affairs.He now gets to handle the additional charge of education at a crucial juncture.When the news broke, Joshi was in his home constituency of Dharwad and soon boarded a night flight to return to Delhi and take charge.Currently, the 63-year-old BJP veteran holds charge of the key ministries of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

Elected for the fifth consecutive time as the MP of Dharwad, Joshi has been considered part of the “inner circle” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.However, BJP MPs from Karnataka believe that Joshi may only be a “stop-gap” arrangement until a cabinet reshuffle, considering he is an experienced minister available in the Modi govt.“If the PM decides to reshuffle his cabinet and makes him the full fledged minister for education, then it becomes formal. At present our understanding is that Joshi has been placed as education minister for the purpose of ensuring that there is experience to handle the immediate challenges in the ministry,” said a senior MP.

Joshi, who had close ties with former union minister late HN Ananth Kumar, is known for his acute political and parliamentary acumen with experience to back his candidature for the hot seat.Despite claims of him facing “anti-incumbency”, Joshi won the 2024 polls by 97,324 votes. He had won the 2019 election by a margin of 2 lakh votes.Incidentally, Joshi will also have another Karnataka man in the form of education secretary TK Anil Kumar, who is from the state cadre on deputation to the Centre. Kumar had taken charge as school education secretary two days ago amid changes in the education ministry.