Sujata Rout Karthikeyan with BJD Naveen Patnaik after joining the party on June 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, a former IAS officer and wife of V. K. Karthikeyan, a close aide of Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik, joined the regional party on Thursday (June 25, 2026), marking her formal entry into politics after a long bureaucratic career.
She joined the BJD in the presence of former Odisha Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar. A 2000-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer, Ms. Karthikeyan had taken voluntary retirement in 2025. Her move into politics comes in the aftermath of the BJD’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
“I would like to welcome Ms Sujata Rout to BJD. She will be joining as a simple member of the party. She has been an IAS officer and held several important positions, including the last position, which was to look after many women in our State,” said Mr Patnaik.
“I am sure as times pass and she gets used to her new position, she will learn to help people, particularly women,” he said.
In an important announcement, Mr. Patnaik asserted that “I would like to repeat again for information about the media and all other people that of course I will be leading BJD in the next elections. I want to make that very clear.”
The statement of Ms. Rout joining as a simple member and him leading the party in the next elections has huge significance, as they have put to rest the debate about succession in the regional party.
“After having joined the party, I have got another opportunity to serve Odisha under the leadership of Mr. Patnaik. With the blessing of Lord Jagannath, party leadership and lakhs of party cadres, I will work with sincerity and devotion for the people of Odisha,” said Ms Rout.
Earlier, the former bureaucrat was accorded a huge welcome to Sankha Bhawan, BJD’s party office in Bhubaneswar. Party workers, especially women leaders, were in the forefront to take her into the party office.
After serving as collector of Sundargarh and Cuttack, Ms Rout shot into limelight due to her association with Mission Shakti, the Odisha government’s flagship women’s empowerment initiative. She was instrumental in organising seven million people under six lakh self-help groups.
Published – June 25, 2026 01:03 pm IST