India, June 25 -- Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan formally joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday in the presence of party president Naveen Patnaik, marking her entry into active politics after taking voluntary retirement from the civil services.

A 2000-batch IAS officer, Sujata had taken voluntary retirement in March 2025 after a distinguished administrative career in Odisha. Her induction into the BJD had been widely anticipated for months and comes amid discussions over the party's future leadership and organisational restructuring.

Sujata is the wife of former IAS officer-turned-politician V. K. Pandian, a close aide of Naveen Patnaik. While some party leaders have welcomed her entry, others have expressed concerns,...