Naveen Patnaik's top aide VK Pandian quits politics after poll setback in Odisha

Former IAS officer and Biju Janata Dal leader VK Pandian has quit active politics, days after the ruling BJD suffered a setback in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He had joined the BJD in November 2023. The former bureaucrat said that he joined politics to help Naveen Patnaik. He also said that his place of birth became an issue in the elections.

The BJP had targeted Pandian, saying he was going to succeed Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister of Odisha. Pandian hails from Tamil Nadu. During the elections, Amit Shah had asked the people of the eastern state whether a Tamilian could run Odisha.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP swept the state by bagging 20 of 21 seats in Odisha and also dethroned the ruling BJD in the assembly elections by winning 78 of 147 seats.