Sarada Prasad Padhan

{{Short description|Indian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sarada Pradhan

| birth_name = Sarada Prasad Pradhan

| office = Member of Odisha Legislative Assembly

| constituency = Mahanga

| term_start = 4 June 2024

| term_end =

| profession = Politician, Cultivation, Social Service

| father = Brajabandhu Pradhan

| spouse = Sipra Priyadarshini Bal

| nickname = Bulu

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|07|27}}

| birth_place = Podamarai, Mahanga, Odisha, India

| residence = Bhubaneswar, Odisha

| predecessor = Pratap Jena

}}

Sarada Prasad Padhan is an Indian politician from Odisha. He is a Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2024, representing Mahanga Assembly constituency as an Independent candidate.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-04 |title=Mahanga Election Result 2024 LIVE Updates Highlights: Assembly Winner, Loser, Leading, Trailing, MLA, Margin |url=https://www.news18.com/elections/mahanga-election-result-2024-live-updates-highlights-assembly-winner-loser-leading-trailing-mla-margin-8916755.html |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=News18 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-04 |title=Mahanga, Odisha Assembly Election Results 2024 Highlights: Independent candidate Sarada Prasad Padhan with 88632 defeats BJD's Ankit Pratap Jena |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/assembly/story/mahanga-odisha-assembly-election-results-2024-live-updates-2548478-2024-06-04 |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=India Today |language=en}}

In both the 2014 and 2019 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections, he contested against Pratap Jena—first as an independent and later as a BJP candidate—but was defeated both times.

He secured victory in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections, defeating Ankit Pratap Jena and marking his first electoral success as an independent legislator.

== Political Career ==

His father, Brajabandhu Padhan, had served multiple terms as Sarpanch of Podamarai Grama Panchayat. He initially belonged to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Mahanga but was sidelined when Pratap Jena emerged as a key political figure in the region.{{Cite news |title=No Smooth Sailing for Pratap |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2014/Mar/31/no-smooth-sailing-for-pratap-592907.html |work=The New Indian Express}} Following his marginalization within the party, he launched his own movement with name Mahanga Vikash Parishad (MVP) as an independent leader.

In the 2014 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections, he contested as an independent candidate against Pratap Jena but was defeated. Later, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2018{{Cite news |title=Mahanga Development Council head Sarada Pradhan to join BJP |url=https://odishatv.in/odisha-news/body-slider/mahanga-development-council-head-sarada-pradhan-to-join-bjp-272619 |work=O TV}}{{Cite news |title=माहांगा विकास परिषद का भाजपा में विलय |url=https://www.jagran.com/odisha/bhubaneshwar-fushon-to-mahanga-vikas-parishad-in-bjp-17460148.html |work=Jagaran}} {{Cite news |title=Dharmendra Pradhan leads BJP roadshow in Cuttack district |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/cuttack/dharmendra-pradhan-leads-bjp-roadshow-in-cuttack-district/articleshow/62768464.cms |work=The Times of India}} and ran again in the 2019 elections, facing Pratap Jena once more but was again unsuccessful.

He was considered to be close to Union Cabinet Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but due to internal political dynamics, he was denied a BJP ticket for the 2024 elections.{{Cite news |title=BJP workers, independent MLA supporters brawl over meeting CM in Odisha |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2024/Jul/19/bjp-workers-independent-mla-supporters-brawl-over-meeting-cm-in-odisha |work=The New Indian Express}} As a result, he contested as an independent candidate, with his major opponent being Ankit Pratap Jena of BJD.{{Cite news |title=Dissident worry for BJD, BJP in Cuttack |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2024/May/09/dissident-worry-for-bjd-bjp-in-cuttack-2 |work=The New Indian Express}}

== Marriage ==

Pradhan married Sipra Priyadarshini Bal on March 2, 2025, in Jaipur, Rajasthan.{{Cite news |title=Odisha's Mahanga MLA Sarada Pradhan set to tie the knot: Wedding ceremony in Rajasthan to be a grand affair |url=https://kalingatv.com/odisha/odishas-mahanga-mla-sarada-pradhan-set-to-tie-the-knot-wedding-ceremony-in-rajasthan-to-be-a-grand-affair |work=Kalinga TV}} {{Cite news |title=Odisha MLA set to tie nuptial knot; It's destination wedding in Rajasthan |url=https://sambadenglish.com/latest-news/odisha-mla-set-to-tie-nuptial-knot-its-destination-wedding-in-rajasthan-8768737 |work=Sambad English}}Bal is a trainee officer with the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) and previously worked as a social extension officer in Mahanga and Nishchintkoili Blocks.