Results for: V.K. Pandian

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and close aide to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, V.K. Pandian, has alleged that the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not contesting the upcoming elections in Odisha with the intention of forming a government but rather to increase its seat numbers and destabilize the BJD after the polls. Pandian asserted that the BJP’s strategy is to break the BJD, citing their past actions in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. Despite the influx of national-level leaders campaigning in Odisha, Pandian expressed confidence in Patnaik’s reelection, dismissing BJP’s attempts to appeal to Odia pride as election-time rhetoric.

As the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections approach in Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aggressively pushing its poll plank of ‘Odia Asmita’ (pride). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president J.P. Nadda have launched a campaign targeting the rise of V.K. Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born former IAS officer seen as the potential successor to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The BJP has been raking up issues related to Pandian’s non-Odia origin, which has drawn sharp criticism from the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Congress has also joined the attack, with Rahul Gandhi mentioning Pandian’s name in a public meeting. The BJP has released a booklet portraying Pandian as a symbol of corruption and mismanagement, while the BJD has defended him, calling the attacks politically motivated and an attempt to import an ‘outsider’ into the state.

The Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, releasing a booklet titled ’25 Years’ Box of Sins’ that alleges corruption, misgovernance, anti-farmer policies, atrocities against women, and anti-tribal deeds. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal accused the BJD of concentrating power in the hands of a select group of bureaucrats, sidelining MLAs and Ministers. They specifically targeted V.K. Pandian, a close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, portraying him as the face of corruption and mismanagement.