On Monday, V Karthikeyan Pandian, a former IAS officer and close aide to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, officially joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal.
In the presence of the chief minister, ministers, legislators, and senior BJD leaders, Mr. Pandian became a member of the regional party.

On October 23, this year, the 2000-batch IAS officer, who caused a lot of controversy and was charged with breaking the service rule, voluntarily retired from government service.

Later, he was elevated to the rank of cabinet minister and placed under the chief minister to lead the state’s flagship 5T (transformational initiative) and Navin (new) Odisha scheme.