Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday firmly declared that he will continue to lead the party in the 2029 general elections, putting to rest widespread speculation that former IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan may be positioned as the party’s future face.
Speaking to the media after formally inducting Sujata Karthikeyan into the BJD at Sankha Bhawan, Patnaik made his intentions very clear.
Following her induction, intense speculation had emerged in political circles that Sujata Karthikeyan — wife of former bureaucrat V.K. Pandian — could be groomed to lead the BJD in the 2029 polls. Naveen Patnaik’s emphatic statement today has effectively ended those rumours.
Talking to mediapersons, Patnaik said, “I would like to repeat again for the information of the media and all other people that of course I will be leading Biju Janata Dal in the next election. I want to make it very clear.”
Earlier in the day, Patnaik convened a meeting of senior party leaders at the BJD headquarters, during which he officially welcomed Sujata Karthikeyan into the party fold.
Praising her administrative record, he added, “We know that she has been an IAS officer and has held several important positions including her last position which used to look after many many women in our state. I am sure that as time passes and she gets used to her new position, she will learn to help people, particularly women.”
The development comes at a time when the BJD is working to strengthen the organisation after its electoral setback in 2024.
