- In a significant development, 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian on Monday marked the beginning of his political journey by officially joining the Biju Janata Dal.
- Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik has inducted his former secretary into the BJD.
- VK Pandian joined the BJD in the presence of ministers and several senior leaders of the party.
- Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi had earlier termed VK Pandian’s appointment as the 5T Chairman as a ‘soft landing’ in politics.
- She alleged that CM Naveen Patnaik has no control over governance in Odisha.
- “The vast experience of Pandian will strengthen the BJD. We hope under his guidance, the party will become more powerful in the future,” said BJD leader Sanjay Das Burma.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s close aide and former IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian formally joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal. Mr. Pandian joined the regional party in the presence of the chief minister, ministers, lawmakers, and senior BJD leaders. Proving all the speculations right, 5T Chairman and former bureaucrat V Karthikeyan Pandian formally joined Biju Janata Dal, at Naveen Niwas in the presence of party supremo Naveen Patnaik.
The development came after he took VRS from his service on October 23. Earlier speculations were rife that Pandian would join Biju Janata Dal and might be entrusted with a bigger role ahead of the 2024 Assembly Polls.
VK Pandian is a 2000 batch IAS officer, who started his career as Dharmagarh sub-collector and later served as Collector of different districts. He joined the CMO in 2011 and remained there for the last 12 years. He was the private secretary to the Chief Minister of Odisha. He was made the 5T secretary in 2019.
He was criticised heavily by the Opposition alleging participation in politics while he was in the civil service as the 5T Secretary and Private Secretary to the Chief Minister. He came under fire, earlier this year after he made whirlwind tours to several districts of the State and addressed people in huge public meetings.
Meanwhile, Puri MP Pinaki Misra said, “Pandian joined the BJD with the blessings of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He will work for the state and the people of Odisha and I hope he achieves the same success in the BJD as working in the administration. Pandian’s expertise and vast experience in administration and politics will prove a big asset to the BJD. It will help the party immensely. All the BJD leaders are happy with the decision,” Misra added.
“The vast experience of Pandian will strengthen the BJD. We hope under his guidance, the party will become more powerful in the future,” said BJD leader Sanjay Das Burma.
Pandian resigned from his IAS job in October and subsequently, he was appointed chairman of 5T and Nabin Odisha programmes in the state He was later appointed as the chairman of the state’s flagship 5T (transformational initiative) and Navin (new) Odisha scheme in the rank of a cabinet minister to work directly under the chief minister.
(With inputs from agencies
