A day after his voluntary retirement from the All-India Civil Services, V. K. Pandian, the Tamil Nadu-born former private secretary of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, has been given a cabinet minister rank in the state government. Pandian's appointment comes as Odisha braces for Assembly elections next year.
"V.K. Pandian is hereby appointed as Chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha in the rank of Cabinet Minister," an order issued by the State Government said. "Pandian shall work directly under the Chief Minister," the order added.
The move wasn't very unexpected as Pandian has been a close aide to Patnaik for years.
Pandian is a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre who began his administrative career as the sub-collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi in 2002. Three years later, Pandian was appointed the collector of Mayurbhanj. In 2007, he was made the collector of Ganjam (Patnaik's constituency Hinjili is in Ganjam district) and it was during his stint here that Pandian became close to the Chief Minister. Soon, he became the trusted officer of the Chief Minister's office and was later promoted as Patnaik's private secretary.
Though he was behind the scenes till 2019, Pandian began taking centre stage after the 2019 elections. He was instrumental in BJD's stunning performance and has since been hailed as Patnaik's "political strategist".
By the start of 2023, signs were clear about Pandian's political future. The IAS official began touring the districts with BJD's development projects. His role as the creator of the 5T Initiatives Department, which subsumed all wings of the government, made him a powerful entity in the administration. He was also the brain behind many mega projects in the state such as the Sri Jagannath Heritage Corridor, temple redevelopments across the state, school and college transformation programmes, health sector initiatives, and rural and urban transformation.
Pandian, who is always seen with Patnaik in public, reportedly controls access to the chief minister and most ministers have to seek his permission to get an audience with the chief minister.
Now, with Patnaik bestowing him the Cabinet minister rank, speculations are rife that he may join the ruling BJD and is likely to be given a significant role ahead of the assembly elections, which will be due early next year. Pandian's name, despite him being from Tamil Nadu, has also been mooted by many as the successor to Navin Patnaik, who, at 77, is in his 23rd year of uninterrupted reign.
V K Pandian (right) with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
Pandian's rise was often criticised by the opposition BJP and Congress which asked him to resign and "officially join the BJD" after he went on a whirlwind tour across the state during which he held 190 meetings to hear public grievances.
Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka said that he would not be surprised if Pandian took charge as the chief minister of Odisha before the next elections. "...such is the power structure in Odisha, no one has clue what's happening but everyone knows who's controlling. VRS approved in 3 days during holidays - Super Fast," he said in a post on X.
Congress leaders believe Pandian joining the government would be helpful for the opposition, including Congress. BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi said Pandian has resigned to take forward his political activities. "Now, he will be able to do politics openly instead of with the mask of a bureaucrat on. He will not be accepted by the people of Odisha," he claimed.
