Bhubaneswar, June 9 (Reporter) In a significant political development in Odisha ,V. K. Pandian, the bureaucrat-turned-politician and the most trusted man of outgoing Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, announced his decision to retire from active politics on Sunday. Pandian was the center of the BJP’s high-voltage campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and a host of central leaders in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. The BJP targeted him, accusing him of keeping Naveen Patnaik hostage and running the party and the administration in the state. The BJP central leaders even asked the people of Odisha whether they wanted Odisha to be run by an elected representative or by an outsider, a "Tamil Babu," pointing at Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in various election meetings that the expiry date of the BJD would be on June 4 and a new BJP Chief Minister would take oath on November 10. To counter Modi and other BJP leaders, Pandian, who was singlehandedly spearheading the election campaign for the Biju Janata Dal, announced in several election meetings that Naveen Patnaik would again become the Chief Minister and the swearing-in ceremony would be held on June 9 between 11:30 AM and 1 PM. He even announced to quit active politics if Naveen Patnaik did not become the Chief Minister. However, the elections saw the 24-year rule of the BJD led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik end in a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP, which won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 78 of the 147 Assembly seats, forming the BJP government for the first time in the state. After the BJD’s defeat at the hustings, Pandian was targeted by the BJP, reminding him of his decision to quit active politics if Naveen Patnaik was not elected for a record sixth time in a row. Even a section of Biju Janata Dal leaders also put the blame on Pandian for the defeat of Biju Janata Dal. However, Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday in an interview with a TV channel, dubbed the criticisms against Pandian as unfortunate. Patnaik described Pandian as an excellent and honest man who did an “excellent job” during his service period and also in the party. He even reiterated that Pandian would not be his successor, as the Opposition parties claimed, and stated that the people of Odisha would decide his successor in politics. Pandian, who served Naveen Patnaik as his private secretary for a long 12 years, took voluntary retirement in November last year from IAS service and joined the Biju Janata Dal. He was made the 5T chairman and Naveen Odisha, a scheme introduced by the Naveen Patnaik government with cabinet status. However, a day after Naveen Patnaik praised Pandian for his honesty and dedicated work, Pandian decided to retire from active politics, putting an end to political speculation about his future role in the BJD. In a video message posted on his Instagram account, Pandian said, “I come from a very humble family and a small village with a childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer and serving the people. Because of my family in Kendrapara, I came to Odisha and, during my work in various places, I tried to work hard and received immense love from the people of Odisha.” Pandian said, “Twelve years ago, I joined the Chief Minister’s Office, and it was an honour to work with Naveen Patnaik. The Chief Minister’s expectation from me was to implement his vision in Odisha in the fields of education, sports, infrastructure, and temple and heritage projects in the state.” The bureaucrat-turned-politician said he left the IAS to join the Biju Janata Dal, and his only intention was to help Naveen Babu. He said, “Perhaps it has been my shortcomings that I have not been able to effectively counter some of the political narratives at the right time.” Pandian further reiterated that he came to politics to help his mentor Naveen Patnaik ahead of the 2024 elections. “I had no desire for any specific political post; therefore, I was neither a candidate nor holding any post in the Biju Janata Dal.” “Till today,” Pandian said, “the only property I have is what I inherited from my grandfather, and neither I nor any member of my family has any property anywhere in the world. My intent in joining politics was only to help Naveen Patnaik, and I now consciously decided to withdraw myself from active politics.” “I am sorry if I have hurt anyone on this journey and feel sorry that the campaign narrative against me played a part in the loss of Biju Janata Dal,” Pandian said. “I apologize to the entire Biju Janata Dal family, including all the karyakartas, for this. My heartfelt gratitude to the lakhs of Biju Parivar members with whom I was associated.” Pandian said, “I would always keep Odisha and my guru Naveen Babu at the core of my heart. Jai Jagannath...////...