Bhubaneswar, June 25 -- Former IAS officer and VK Pandian's wife, Sujata Karthikeyan, joined the BJD in presence of party supremo Naveen Patnaik and other leaders on Thursday.

Following her induction into the BJD fold, speculations were rife that Sujata Karthikeyan may lead the party in 2029 general polls.

However, putting all the rumours to rest, BJD president Naveen Patnaik today clarified that he will lead the party in the upcoming elections in 2029.

Speculation about Sujata Karthikeyan joining the BJD was doing the rounds since she, a 2000 batch IAS officer, took voluntary retirement in March 2025.

Earlier in the day, Patnaik had convened a meeting of party leaders at the Sankha Bhawan, the BJD state headquarters, where the formal...