Former Odisha bureaucrat VK Pandian officially joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party on Monday. Pandian, who is a close aide to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, joined the party in the presence of Patnaik, ministers, lawmakers, and senior BJD leaders.
Pandian, a 2000-batch IAS officer, had recently retired from government service on October 23. He had been involved in several controversies and was accused of violating service rules. Following his retirement, he was appointed as the chairman of the state’s flagship 5T (transformational initiative) and Navin (new) Odisha scheme, holding the rank of a cabinet minister and working directly under the chief minister.
The news of Pandian’s party affiliation comes with an image showing him alongside Chief Minister Patnaik. The image can be viewed here: [image link]
Please note that this article is syndicated and has not been edited by NDTV staff, except for the headline.
