Bhubaneshwar: Senior BJP leader and MP Dharmendra Pradhan held a meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, and other senior BJP leaders, days after stepping down as the Union Education Minister. The meeting came a day after Pradhan returned to his home state for the first time since resigning as Union Education Minister amid widespread protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and other examination-related irregularities. On his arrival in Bhubaneswar Tuesday, Pradhan was accorded a warm reception by BJP leaders and state ministers at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet July 25, taking moral responsibility for the irregularities surrounding the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination. Soon after his resignation, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi praised Pradhan’s contribution to the education sector and acknowledged his decision to step down on moral grounds.