Ending all speculations, Sujatha Karthikeyan joined BJD. She joined Biju Janata Dal in the presence of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik. The party’s senior leadership welcomed her. Sujatha joined BJD as a common worker. Naveen Patnaik gave information in this regard. He clarified that Naveen will lead BJD in the next elections. Naveen said that he has left a successful mark as an efficient administrator. His experience will be helpful for the party. Similarly, after joining the party, Sujatha said that I have served under Naveen’s leadership for 24 years. I have got the opportunity to serve the people of Odisha again. I will serve the people of Odisha with sincerity and dedication.
BJD has not been able to organize since it lost power in the 2024 elections. Internal discipline in the party is not what it used to be. 3 Rajya Sabha MPs left the party and defected to BJP while 8 MLAs cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections. According to political analysts, Sujatha’s arrival in the BJD comes at a critical juncture. Sujatha’s inclusion is expected to strengthen the party when the panchayat elections are due early next year.
A 2000 batch IAS officer from Kendrapara, Sujatha has held several important posts in the administration. Her role in women empowerment in the state through Mission Shakti has been praised in various quarters. Sujatha has made more than 70 lakh women self-reliant through SHGs. Under Sujatha, SHG group loan syndicates increased from Rs 500 crore to Rs 15,000 crore. In a career spanning nearly 25 years, she has taken various initiatives in the fields of education, nutrition, maternal welfare and women’s economic empowerment. During her initial posting in Maoist-affected Sundargarh district, she planned bicycle distribution for school girls and added eggs to the mid-day meal scheme, which was later adopted across Odisha.
As the first woman collector of Cuttack and later the director of social welfare, she launched the Mamata Matrutva Lav Yojana. Sujata promoted sports in remote villages bordering Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. She distributed football and hockey equipment. During her tenure, she built hostels for women hockey players. She played a key role in making Sundargarh a powerhouse of hockey. Sujata served as the first secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department. During this time, she played a key role in organizing the first World Odia Language Conference held in Bhubaneswar. She took voluntary retirement from the IAS in March 2025. During her retirement, she was working as a special secretary in the Finance Department of the Government of Odisha.
