Bhubaneswar, June 26 -- Former bureaucrat Sujata Pandian, 50, wife of VK Pandian, a close aide of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik, joined the party on Thursday. Patnaik announced her induction after a meeting at Sankha Bhawan, the party headquarters. Amid speculation that Sujata could eventually take over the reins of the party, Patnaik asserted that he would continue to lead the BJD in the next elections. "I would like to repeat again for the information of the media and all other people that, of course, I will lead the BJD in the next elections. I want to make it very clear," he said. The BJD has been grappling with questions of succession and a series of defections following loss of power to the BJP in 2024, which prompted VK ...