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 induct into the party during a high-level meeting of party leaders at Sankha Bhavan, the party’s state
headquarters in Bhubaneswar. 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. A group of senior BJD leaders had also met the BJD supremo at his residence, Naveen Niwas, on Wednesday, where the move is believed to have been discussed.
Earlier speaking to the media, several party leaders had expressed ignorance over the induction ceremony. “Everyone is hearing that she will be joining. We will update you once the meeting is over, but we are sure whatever decision is taken by Naveen Patnaik will be for the betterment of the party, people of Odisha and everyone…,” MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra told the media.
Rajya Sabha member Sulata Deo said, “We have come to attend a meeting called by Naveen Patnaik and it depends on him who joins and who does not… We will welcome whoever joins… I have worked with her when I was the Chairman of the Social Welfare Board… She was the first woman Collector of Kataka… She did a lot of work such as lifting women from grassroots level, turning SSG to SME, giving housewives business through e-commerce…”
Political observers view her induction as a strategic move for the BJD, especially with upcoming panchayat and municipal elections. Her joining could mean Pandian, who had claimed he would “withdraw from active politics” after BJD’s 2024 electoral debacle, re-emerging as the power centre in the Naveen-led party.