BJD leaders making beeline to meet him, pieces fall in place for Pandian’s elevation to Patnaik’s No. 2

“What a son can’t do, a disciple can. Mr Pandian, you are a true disciple of our Chief Minister. I thank you for what you have done for Odisha, Shri Jagannath Temple and Jajpur,” said Das, the BJD’s organisation secretary.

Several BJD leaders had then called Das’s praises for Pandian a well-thought-out move to set the tone for his formal entry into the party, which was expected since October 23, when he took voluntary retirement from the IAS after having been the CM’s private secretary for over 12 years.

On November 27, Pandian, 48, joined the BJD, with the party leadership choosing the day marking “Kartik Purnima” — considered to be one of the most auspicious days in Odia tradition — for the occasion.

In ancient Kalinga (Odisha’s erstwhile name), the Sadhavas (Odia traders) used to embark on their voyages to far-off places across Southeast Asia for trade from the shores of Kalinga on Kartik Purnima. The Odia seafarers used to follow it to take advantage of the favourable winds blowing during this time.

To commemorate this day, Odisha celebrates “Boita Bandana” (worshipping boats) by putting miniature boats, made of banana stems and papers, into waterbodies.

“The tradition has significance even today. The day is considered to be auspicious to start something new. The decision to get Pandian join the BJD on Kartik Purnima has been taken after careful thoughts. It’s also an attempt to showcase his love and admiration for Odisha and its culture,” said a senior BJD leader.

Before joining the party, Pandian also went to Puri to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath. He also visited Tara Tarini temple, a famous shrine in Ganjam district, to offer his prayers.

Welcoming Pandian into the BJD fold at a function held at his residence Naveen Niwas, Patnaik, the 77-year-old five-term CM, praised the Tamil Nadu-born ex-bureaucrat for “working hard for the people of Odisha and winning their respect and trust”. Pandian touched Patnaik’s feet to take his blessings and wore a BJD badge. A slew of senior party leaders were present on the occasion, which appeared to be part of its strategy to send out a signal that there was no internal discontent over the development. The BJD’s leader in the Lok Sabha Pinaki Mishra told reporters that the party leaders were “happy” over it.

Although Patnaik is yet to define his close aide’s exact role in the BJD, several insiders said Pandian is set to get the second most important position in the party. There has been a buzz in the party circles that Patnaik would make an announcement in this regard on December 26, which marks the party’s foundation day.

When the BJD held its silver jubilee celebrations last year in Puri, Patnaik said the party had the potential to serve the people of Odisha for the next 100 years, which reignited the question: After Naveen, who? “Patnaik may not pass the baton to Pandian on the party foundation day but he may give an indication to settle this question in due course,” said a BJD leader. “Patnaik will seek his sixth straight term in the Assembly election to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls in April-May 2024. Pandian will be then a key player in working out the party’s campaign plan for the elections. He will also call the shots in the selection of candidates for these polls.”

Pandian’s growing clout in the BJD could be gauged by the point that since he joined the party, senior party leaders, including ministers, MPs and MLAs, besides others from different walks of life have been making a beeline to his office at Naveen Niwas to greet him, although currently he does not hold any post. Recently, Dhirendra Das, grandson of Odia icon Gopabandhu Das, met Pandian to thank him for the “transformation” of Gopabandhu’s birthplace in Puri.

“This exercise seems to be an attempt to show Pandian’s acceptance among party leaders and other people and highlight his contribution for the state,” said a BJD source.

A day after he quit the IAS, Pandian was appointed as the chairman of Nabin Odisha (New Odisha) and Vision 5T (transparency, teamwork, technology and time, leading to transformation), the Patnaik government’s flagship programmes, with the rank of a cabinet minister. The 5T initiative, considered to be Pandian’s brainchild, has its linkages to almost every government scheme in the state.

Some leaders of the Opposition BJP and Congress have questioned Pandian’s growing role in the BJD on the ground of his “non-Odia identity”. The BJD has rejected such criticism, citing the instances of several Odisha leaders, such as BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, who hail from other states.

The party has maintained that Pandian’s “mass acceptability” was seen in large gatherings, especially among youths and women, when he toured all 147 assembly constituencies as Patnaik’s emissary to attend public grievance meetings during March-June this year.