Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's frequent visits to Odisha have kicked off speculation that he was being positioned by the Bharatiya Janata Party as the state's chief ministerial candidate for the 2019 elections. While Pradhan was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from the state of Bihar, he was earlier a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from Odisha. Now, there is no official word about it and Pradhan reportedly doesn't enjoy that sort of following in Odisha. But observers point to his closeness to party president Amit Shah to bolster their case.
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