Bhubaneshwar, June 25 -- Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday, bringing with her over two decades of administrative experience in Odisha.

Rout was formally inducted into the party by former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. During the induction ceremony the former IAS officer was seen seeking blessings from Patnaik as she took on a new reponsibility.

A 2000-batch IAS officer, Karthikeyan holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, where she was a university topper, and a Master's degree in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

During her training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, she recei...