Policy & Politics

Former Odisha Chief Secy Bijay Patnaik Joins Congress

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha Chief Secretary Bijay Patnaik joined Congress at the headquarters of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi on Friday in the presence of party general secretary KC Venugopal.

Odisha Congress in-charge A Chellakumar and the party’s state unit president Sarat Pattanayak will also present.

He later met party national president Mallikarjun Kharge.

According to sources, the former bureaucrat was in touch with the national leaders of Congress after the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra of  Rahul Gandhi. He is likely to be given a senior position in the state party unit.

The 1976-batch IAS officer retired in 2013 after serving as Chief Secretary. He also served as Forest Secretary, Water Resources Secretary and later as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister from 2004 to 2010.

Following his retirement, he was appointed as the chairman of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission and as a member of the Odisha Human Rights Commission, a year later. There was speculation that he might be inducted into BJD and given a Rajya Sabha berth soon after his retirement.

In 2015, Patnaik joined the Anil Agarwal Foundation as the president of Vedanta University Project. However, he quit the Vedanta Group two years later as the project could not be implemented due to land acquisition problems.

He had refuted talks about joining Congress in 2022, saying that he was not interested in politics.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Former BJD MLA Blames Naveen Patnaik For Party’s Debacle In Odisha Polls

Bhubaneswar: After several Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders blamed VK Pandian for the regional party’s…

November 8, 2024

PM Modi Slams Opposition’s Article 370 Resolution: ‘Conspiracy Against Kashmir’

Mumbai: The Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance which formed the government in Jammu & Kashmir after winning…

November 8, 2024

Chief Justice Chandrachud’s Last Day At Work: ‘Forgive Me If I Ever Hurt Anyone’

New Delhi: It was the last day in office for Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud as Chief…

November 8, 2024

Orissa HC Refuses To Quash FIR Against Lawyer Accused Of Taking Money From Client To Bribe Judge

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has refused to quash a criminal case against a lawyer…

November 8, 2024

Low Pressure Over Bay Of Bengal In 48 Hours; Check Forecast For Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The cyclonic circulation over southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a…

November 8, 2024

Congress Activists Hurl Eggs At Odisha HE Minister’s Residence In Bhubaneswar; Know Why

Bhubaneswar: Activists of the students’ wing of Odisha Congress staged a demonstration and threw eggs…

November 8, 2024

Love Jihad? Kashmiri Youth Held In Bhubaneswar For ‘Blackmailing’ Woman For Marriage

Bhubaneswar: Mahila Police in Bhubaneswar on Friday detained a Kashmiri Muslim youth, Samir Mansoor, for…

November 8, 2024

Woman RI Faints After Tehsildar’s Phone Call In Odisha; Husband Moves Police Alleging Mental Torture

Keonjhar: A woman Revenue Inspector (RI) reportedly fainted after Ghasipura Tehsildar in Odisha’s Keonjhar district…

November 8, 2024