Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday welcomed Nabin Odisha and 5T chairman V K Pandian into the party fold.
The former bureaucrat took blessings of the CM by touching his feet before formally joining the Conch party at 10.15 am in presence of several senior BJD leaders, ending days of speculation about him taking a plunge into state politics after his voluntary retirement from service almost a month ago. “Pandian has been working hard for the people of Odisha for a number of years and he will continue to do so in the future as a member of the party,” Naveen said.
Pandian said with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and under the guidance of the CM, he will work for the people of the state with sincerity, dedication, selflessness and humility. He also sought the cooperation of all party leaders.
He later got a rousing reception at Sankha Bhawan, BJD‘s state headquarters. Though Pandian is yet to be assigned a role in the party, BJD insiders said that he could play a crucial part in designing the party’s campaign plan and candidate selection for the twin polls in April-May next year. He has earlier been hailed as Naveen’s political strategist.
Earlier speaking to reports at Naveen Niwas, Puri MP Pinaki Misra tried to downplay the speculation over how accepting are the senior leaders about his entry in the regional party Of Odisha. “All the senior leaders are happy with his induction into the party,” he said, adding that his past administrative and political experience will be an asset for the party.
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