Bhubaneswar, Nov 28 (PTI) More than five months after the BJD's defeat in the Odisha Assembly elections, bureaucrat turned politician VK Pandian made his first public appearance at a wedding function of a BJD leader in Cuttack.

Pandian had on June 9 announced to withdraw from active politics after BJD's electoral defeat in Odisha Assembly elections.

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He was seen at a wedding function at Trisulia in Cuttack on Wednesday night. It was the wedding of former BJD MLA Pravat Biswal's daughter and the sister of sitting Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Souvik Biswal.

Pandian did not have any media interaction during his visit to the wedding function on Wednesday night, but speculations are rife about his return to active politics.

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Though Pandian withdrew from active politics, he remains a close aide of former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Tamil Nadu-born IAS officer had opted for voluntary retirement in October 2023 and officially joined the BJD on November 26, 2023. He was the star campaigner of the BJD and toured the nook and corner of the state while campaigning for the regional party.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)