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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide and former IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian on Monday formally joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Pandian joined the regional party in the presence of the chief minister, state ministers, lawmakers and senior BJD leaders at Naveen Niwas, the residence of Patnaik.
"I welcome Pandian into the BJD. He would work for the party and the people of Odisha with all sincerity and dedication," the CM said in a video message.
In another statement, Patnaik said, "He has been working very hard for the state for several years and would continue to do so. He has earned people's respect. I wish him all the best."
Pandian said, "With the blessings of Lord Jagannath and under the guidance of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, I will work for the party and the people of Odisha with full sincerity and dedication."
Before joining the party, Pandian visited Puri and had a darshan of Lord Jagannath in the morning.
BJD's Puri MP Pinaki Mishra told reporters that Pandian sought the blessings of the CM and touched his feet. Patnaik exuded confidence that Pandian would bring success to the party like he did for the administration.
Mishra said Pandian's administrative and political experience will be a great asset for the party.
Forty-nine-year-old Pandian, a 2000-batch IAS officer who sparked several controversies and was accused of violating the service rule, had taken voluntary retirement from government service on October 23 this year.
He was later appointed as the chairman of the state's flagship 5T (transformational initiative) and Navin (new) Odisha scheme in the rank of cabinet minister to work directly under the chief minister.
Pandian hails from Tamil Nadu and his wife, Sujata Kartikeyan Rout, is from Odisha. He was initially in the Punjab cadre but later shifted to Odisha as his wife worked in the eastern state.
Before formally joining politics, Pandian had visited all the 30 districts of the state and listened to people's grievances and also reviewed various developmental projects.
BJD organisation secretary Pranab Prakash Das, considered number two in the party, said, "Pandian is a strong disciple of the CM and is dedicated to him. There is no doubt over his sincerity towards Patnaik and the people of Odisha."
Another senior party leader, Sanjay Das Burma said, "Pandian's vast experience will strengthen the BJD and we hope that under his guidance, the party will become more powerful in the future."
Reacting to the development, BJP's Odisha unit stressed the fact that Pandian is a non-Odia who has entered the politics of the state.
BJP state president Manmohan Samal said, "It is good that he joined the BJD. Earlier, he was doing politics from behind the screen. His joining the BJD will have no impact on the BJP."
BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda said, "Legendary Biju Patnaik, after whom the BJD is named, would have been in pain after seeing a non-Odia doing politics in the party."
Party MLA Mukesh Mahaling said, "He (Pandian) was earlier also working for the BJD. It is now to be seen whether the people of Odisha and senior BJD politicians will accept him as a leader as he is a non-Odia. Senior BJD leaders, who have been working for more than 30 years, may be hesitant to accept him. Though senior BJD leaders are silent now, they may not accept him as a leader."
Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja said, "It is good that he is now in the BJD. Earlier he was doing politics by sitting in his office chamber."
Pandian began his bureaucratic career in 2002 as the sub-collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district and was then posted as the collector of Mayurbhanj district in 2005. Later, he was appointed as the collector of Ganjam in 2007.
During his tenure in Ganjam, Pandian came close to the CM and served as his private secretary since 2011.
Apart from being the private secretary to the chief minister, Patnaik also gave him the additional responsibility of the '5T secretary' in 2019 to implement some transformational initiatives in government departments.