Indus Valley Times

By Nalini Sahu

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 15: All speculations about Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s “blue-eyed boy” contesting the 2024 assembly elections came to an end on Friday as the party said has himself denied to fight polls.

BJP vice president Debi Prasad Mishra, while speaking to reporters here after the party’s crucial executive body meeting, said, “Mr V Karthikeyan Pandian today cleared his stand on fighting elections. He has said that he would not contest elections. Though there is no problem if he decides to contest, but people should refrain from spreading rumours.”

Pandian formally joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on November 27 at Naveen Niwas in the presence of party supremo Naveen Patnaik and other party leaders.

Pandian had earlier taken voluntary retirement from service on October 23. He was made them made chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and ‘Nabin Odisha’ programme. He was accorded a Cabinet Minister rank a day after his voluntary resignation from the Indian Civil Services.

Seen in political circles as CM Naveen Patnaik’s successor, the Tamil Nadu-born politician has been a key figure in the state administration and in the ruling BJD’s organisational affairs. It is often alleged that during his stint as the CM’s private secretary from 2011 to 2023, he managed the BJD’s election affairs in 2014 and 2019 assembly elections.

The appointment of Pandian as ‘5T Transformation Initiative’ and ‘Nabin Odisha’ has not only given him the legal authority to supervise performances of all the state government departments but also conferred on him the power to monitor the development works.

A huge allocation of Rs 3,397 crore has been made for rural development works in 6,794 gram panchayats in the state under the ‘Nabin Odisha’ initiative. Each gram panchayat will get Rs 50 lakh under the programme. It is being widely discussed in political circle that the ex-bureaucrat will manage the Lok Sabha and assembly elections to be held simultaneously in 2024.

Grapevine has it that if the BJD manages to win the 2024 assembly polls, Pandian will be declared as Naveen’s successor.  

Pandian’s first appointment was as Sub-Collector in Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district and served in the post from 2002 to 2004. During his brief stint, he earned love and affection of the local people as he ensured to farmers the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy and regularised the procurement of the crop by government-run mandis  (procurement centres). His work attracted the attention of the state government.

Later, he was posted as District Collector of Mayurbhanj from 2005 to 2007 and Ganjam district from 2007 to 2011.  He served as CM’s private secretary from 2011 to October 23, 2023.

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Photograph: V. Karthikeyan Pandian (second from left)  with party leaders