India News | Patnaik's Close Aide VK Pandian Joins BJD
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide and former IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian on Monday formally joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 27 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide and former IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian on Monday formally joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal.
Pandian joined the regional party in the presence of the chief minister, ministers, lawmakers and senior BJD leaders.
The 2000-batch IAS officer, who sparked several controversies and was accused of violating the service rule, had taken voluntary retirement from government service on October 23 this year.
He was later appointed as the chairman of the state's flagship 5T (transformational initiative) and Navin (new) Odisha scheme in the rank of a cabinet minister to work directly under the chief minister.
Also Read | Mumbai: Man Who Set Couple on Fire in Kandivali Arrested for Double Murder After 22 Years From Pune.
(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)