Published Jul 26, 2026 | 1:38 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 26, 2026 | 1:40 PM
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy. (X)
Synopsis: Pralhad Joshi has taken additional charge as the Union Minister for Education after the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan amid student-led protests over the NEET-UG paper leak.
Senior BJP leader and long time RSS member Pralhad Joshi took charge as the Union Education Minister on Sunday, 26 July. Joshi is already in charge of the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy ministries. His appointment as the education minister followed the resignation of former minister Dharmendra Pradhan due to month-long protests led by students and youth against examination irregularities including the NEET-UG paper leak.
In a post on X, Joshi announced taking additional charge as the education minister.
“Today, I assumed charge as the Union Minister for Education. I am grateful to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji for placing his faith in me and entrusting me with this responsibility. I accept it with humility and a deep sense of duty,” he said.
A five-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka, Joshi is one among the most experienced ministers in Modi’s cabinet.
He was given the Parliamentary Affairs and Coals and Mines portfolios, when he was initially inducted into the Cabinet after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. After the 2024 elections, Joshi was appointed the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Minister of New and Renewable Energy.
Also Read: From Smriti Irani to Dharmendra Pradhan: BJP’s education ministers and their controversial tenures
Joshi has long been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and rose through the ranks in the BJP.
One of the events that is believed to have marked a crucial turn in his political career is the movement demanding hoisting of the national flag at the Idgah Maidan in Karnataka’s Hubballi in the early 1990s, which registered him as an important leader for the state BJP. He has held several leadership roles in the party’s state unit, heading it from 2013-2016.
During Joshi’s tenure as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, the government had been criticised by the opposition parties for refusing to allow proper discussion on Bills introduced in the Parliament.
Joshi’s appointment as education minister comes amid repeated standoffs between the Opposition and the ruling party in and oustide the Parliament over irregularities in the education system.
(Compiled by Fayisa CA)
