Bhubaneswar: Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan formally joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday in the presence of party president Naveen Patnaik.
Speaking to the media, Naveen said that she has joined as a simple member of the party. “I would like to repeat again for the information of the media and all other people, but of course I will be leading BJD in the next elections. I want to make this very clear,” he said, dismissing speculation that her induction is part of the party’s larger succession plan.
“….You know that she has been an IAS officer and held several important positions, including her last position which was to look after many women in our State. As time passes, she gets used to a new position. She will learn to help people, particularly women,” he added.
Sujata said that she was fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve the state for 24 years. “Today, I am blessed to have this opportunity to work for the people of the state once again under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership,” she told reporters.
She was inducted into the party during a high-level meeting of party leaders at Sankha Bhavan here. The move comes amid intense political speculation following her voluntary retirement from service in March 2025, a similar path taken by her husband V K Pandian, a 2000-batch IAS officer, in 2023 before his own entry into BJD politics.
Senior leaders, including Debi Prasad Mishra, Pramila Mallik, Pratap Jena, Tukuni Sahu, Sulata Deo, and Chandrasekhar Sahu, along with current and former MLAs from all 30 districts of Odisha, gathered at the headquarters for the formal induction.