Bhubaneswar: In a significant political development, former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of former bureaucrat VK Pandian and trusted aide of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to join the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today.
Highly placed sources indicate that the formal joining ceremony will take place at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters. BJD President Naveen Patnaik is expected to make this announcement from the stage during the party’s organisational meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin around 11 am with the presence of senior BJD leaders, MLAs, and district-level leaders from across the state.
Though the BJD is yet to issue any official statement, party leaders are giving clear indications that her joining is confirmed. No senior leader has denied the development, while many are silently signalling that ‘Sujata is coming to BJD’.
According to sources, Sujata will join the party as a general worker and will not be given any official post or position immediately. Sujata had taken voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service in March last year.
