Bhubaneswar, BJD leader VK Pandian's wife and Odisha IAS officer Sujatha R Karthikeyan has gone on six-month 'child care leave' from May 31, official sources said.
According to a notification issued by the General Administration Department, the IAS officer has been granted leave till November 26 to take care of his daughter, who is appearing for Class 10 exams.
Sujata, a 2000 batch Odisha cadre officer, went on leave, about a month after she was removed as secretary, Mission Shakti, and appointed special secretary in the finance department following the Election Commission's direction.
The Election Commission's decision to transfer him to the non-public dealing department stemmed from allegations by central BJP leaders accusing him of active involvement in supporting the ruling BJD in the state.
Pandian joined politics after taking voluntary retirement from All India Civil Services in October 2023.
In the recently held Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state, the regional party suffered an electoral defeat as the BJP won 78 of the 147 assembly seats. BJD under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik managed to secure 51 seats in the assembly, with Congress winning 14 seats, Independents 3 and CPI(M) one seat. BJD also failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha elections.
Following the BJD's defeat, two retired IAS officers, R Balakrishnan and Suresh Mohapatra, resigned from their posts in the Chief Minister's Office.
According to a notification issued by the General Administration Department, the IAS officer has been granted leave till November 26 to take care of his daughter, who is appearing for Class 10 exams.
Sujata, a 2000 batch Odisha cadre officer, went on leave, about a month after she was removed as secretary, Mission Shakti, and appointed special secretary in the finance department following the Election Commission's direction.
The Election Commission's decision to transfer him to the non-public dealing department stemmed from allegations by central BJP leaders accusing him of active involvement in supporting the ruling BJD in the state.
Pandian joined politics after taking voluntary retirement from All India Civil Services in October 2023.
In the recently held Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state, the regional party suffered an electoral defeat as the BJP won 78 of the 147 assembly seats. BJD under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik managed to secure 51 seats in the assembly, with Congress winning 14 seats, Independents 3 and CPI(M) one seat. BJD also failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha elections.
Following the BJD's defeat, two retired IAS officers, R Balakrishnan and Suresh Mohapatra, resigned from their posts in the Chief Minister's Office.
