Bhubaneswar, June 25: Former IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, widely known for her contributions to women’s empowerment and social welfare initiatives in Odisha, formally joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday.
Sujata joined the regional party at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters in Bhubaneswar, in the presence of BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, senior party leaders and workers.
Addressing the gathering after joining the party, Sujata said she was grateful for another opportunity to serve the people of Odisha under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership.
“I got an opportunity to serve the people of Odisha for 24 years under Naveen Patnaik's leadership. By joining BJD, I again got that opportunity to serve the people of Odisha under Naveen Babu's leadership. With the blessings of Lord Jagannath and lakhs of BJD workers, I will work for the state with full sincerity and dedication,” she said.
Welcoming her into the party, Naveen Patnaik praised her long record of public service and administrative experience.
“I would like to welcome Sujata Karthikeyan to BJD. She will be joining as a simple member of the party. You know that she has been an IAS officer and held several important positions, including her last position where she worked closely with women across the state. As time passes, she will get used to her new role and continue helping people, particularly women,” Naveen said.
The former Chief Minister also sought to end speculation over the party’s leadership by making a clear political statement.
“I would like to repeat again that I will be leading BJD in the next election. I want to make that very clear,” he said.
Sujata’s entry into politics had been widely anticipated since she took voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in March 2025. A 2000-batch IAS officer, she held several key positions during her distinguished administrative career.
She is the wife of former IAS officer VK Pandian, a close aide of Naveen Patnaik, who had also taken voluntary retirement from the civil service in October 2023 before joining the BJD.
Sujata is best known for leading Mission Shakti, Odisha’s flagship women’s empowerment programme. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in strengthening women’s self-help groups (SHGs) by expanding access to credit, livelihood opportunities and entrepreneurship support.
During her early postings in the Maoist-affected Sundargarh district, she introduced initiatives such as bicycle distribution for schoolgirls and the inclusion of eggs in the mid-day meal programme, both of which were later adopted across the state.
As the first woman Collector of Cuttack and later as Director of Social Welfare, she was associated with the launch of the Mamata maternity benefit scheme aimed at improving maternal and child healthcare.
She also served as Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Mission Shakti Department, where she promoted interest-free loans for women entrepreneurs and facilitated greater participation of SHGs in government programmes and public service delivery.
Sujata was also one of the key driving forces behind Millet Shakti, a joint initiative of the Odisha Millets Mission and Mission Shakti, which promoted millet consumption and women-led entrepreneurship through SHG-operated millet cafés across several districts.
Her induction into the BJD is being viewed as a significant addition to the party, given her extensive administrative experience and strong association with several flagship welfare programmes in Odisha.
