Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of ex-Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian, formally joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). "By joining BJD, I've once again got the opportunity to serve the people of Odisha under Naveen Babu's leadership," she said. Sujata, a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, opted for voluntary retirement in March 2025.