Pandian vows to quit politics if Naveen not re-elected CM

Bhubaneswar: The BJD leader, V K Pandian, on Friday said he would quit politics if party president Naveen Patnaik does not become the Chief Minister of Odisha for the sixth term after the Assembly elections.

Challenging Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Pandian, a close aide of Naveen, said the senior BJP leader should also announce that he would take political ‘sanyaas’ if the saffron party fails to come to power in the State. Pradhan is the face of the BJP in Odisha.

“You (BJP) say that there is BJP wave and wave for a change in Odisha, but I strongly say that if Naveen does not become the CM again, I will take ‘sanyaas’ from politics,” Pandian said while addressing a rally at Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda district.