Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Nabin Odisha & 5T Chairman V K Pandian officially joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday, ending days of speculation in the presence of party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik as well as a number of other senior leaders. “VK Pandian joined the BJD with the blessings of party chief Naveen Patnaik, who exuded confidence that he would bring success to the party just as he did for the administration,” Puri MP Pinaki Mishra said in a statement announcing Pandian’s official entry into the party. All of us senior leaders are pleased that he joined. He brings a wealth of administrative and political experience to the party.
Pandian is probably going to be given a big role in the party, since Naveen is getting ready to run for a sixth term. Pinaki continued, “He joined the party today.”
Following this, senior BJD leaders including Pinaki, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Prasanna Acharya, Pranab Prakash Das, Pratap Deb, Snehangini Chhuriya, Sanjay Das Burma, Samir Das, and Pranab Balbantray attended a party meeting at Naveen Niwas, the CM residence. When the party office called a few senior leaders for the Sunday meeting, there were rumblings within the BJD camp. There was conjecture that Naveen’s trusted assistant and former private secretary Pandian might formally join the BJD on the auspicious occasion of Kartika Purnima.
