India, June 25 -- Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan formally joined ex-Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal on Thursday, with Patnaik himself announcing her induction into the party at the headquarters Shankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.

Sujata is the wife of Patnaik's close aide and bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, whom many in the BJD had blamed for the party being voted out of power in the state in 2024 after more than two decades of rule.

"I would like to welcome Sujata Rout to the BJD. She will be joining the party as a simple member. She has been an IAS officer and held several important positions, including her last assignment where she looked after many women of our state," Patnaik said while announ...