2 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Jun 25, 2026 01:07 PM IST
Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, formally joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday in the presence of party president Naveen Patnaik.
Sujata arrived at the Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters, to a rousing reception by party workers and senior leaders from the women’s wing.
“I would like to welcome Sujata Rout to BJD. She will be joining as a simple member of the party. You know that she has been an IAS officer and held several important positions including her last position which was to look after women in Odisha. As time passes, she gets used to a new position. She will learn to help people, particularly, women,” Patnaik said following Sujata’s induction.
Sujata had opted for voluntary retirement in March 2025, months after BJD’s defeat in 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha polls. (Express Photo)
“I would like to repeat again that I will be leading the BJD in the next elections. I want to make that very clear,” he asserted.
Senior leaders, MPs and MLAs from all 30 districts were invited by the party to Sankha Bhawan apparently to send a signal that her joining the BJD is a collective decision by the party.
Despite being claimed that she would work as a normal party worker, BJD insiders said her role will be crucial in the party in the days to come. Her induction is also seen as part of the BJD’s larger succession plan.
Sujata, a 2000-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre and considered to be one of the influential bureaucrats during BJD regime, opted for voluntary retirement in March 2025, months after BJD’s defeat in 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
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“I got an opportunity to serve the people of Odisha for 24 years under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership. By joining BJD, I again got that opportunity to serve the people of Odisha under Naveen Babu’s leadership,” Sujata told reporters after joining the party.
She said with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and lakhs of workers of BJD workers, “I will work for the state with full sincerity and dedication.”