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Journalism of Courage
Almost six months after retiring from active politics, former bureaucrat-turned-Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader V K Pandian’s recent public appearance has created a buzz in Odisha’s political circles and raised questions about his next move.
The former IAS officer attended the wedding of former BJD MLA Pravat Biswal’s daughter near Cuttack on Wednesday evening, exactly a year since he had joined the BJD. Soon afterwards, videos of Pandian from the event, attended by major politicians across party lines, were shared widely on social media. The same day, senior IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan, Pandian’s wife, joined duty after a six-month leave. Though she had applied for an extension, the BJP government declined her request.
Even as the videos triggered speculation, BJD insiders ruled out any possibility of his return to the party. “Despite his decision to withdraw from active politics, Pandian remains close to (former Odisha Chief Minister) Naveen (Patnaik) babu and visits Naveen Niwas, the residence of Naveen Patnaik, regularly. Irrespective of what he discusses or advises the former CM, he stays away from the day-to-day affairs of the BJD. He also meets selected leaders,” said a senior BJD leader.
With Pandian held responsible by a section of the BJD leadership for the party’s loss of power — he is blamed for exerting “excessive influence” on party decisions in the run-up to the simultaneous elections — sources in the party said Patnaik would not encourage his immediate return to active politics as questions are still being raised about the party’s style of functioning and how it fought elections. The recent resignations of Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar from the Rajya Sabha and their decision to join the BJP have also complicated matters for the party that is still searching for a way back since losing power. “It (his active participation) may create more trouble in the party,” said the senior leader.
Though he avoids public glare, Pandian continues to share Odisha’s success stories under the BJD government on his social media accounts. Though not an active part of the BJD anymore, he is believed to still retain some influence in the party. Pandian is said to have been behind the appointment of former corporate executive Santrupt Misra as Patnaik’s political secretary.
Despite facing criticism from within the BJD, senior party leaders have not publicly blamed the former bureaucrat whose non-Odia identity — he is Tamil — had become the focal point of the BJP’s attacks on the party in the run-up to the elections. On multiple occasions, Patnaik has defended his former lieutenant and called him a person of “integrity and honesty”.
However, according to Pandian’s detractors in the party, Patnaik, who always had a lieutenant to run the BJD since its inception in 1997, has become more accessible to party leadership unlike before the elections. The former CM now directly supervises party affairs, according to these leaders, and has formed multiple committees to carry out the day-to-day activities.
Pandian, who served as Patnaik’s private secretary for over a decade since 2011, resigned from his IAS job in October 2023 and stepped into politics a month later. In the run-up to the elections, he almost became the second face of the BJD and its star campaigner. He was also said to have played a significant role in ticket distribution.
