Sujata R Kartikeyan, former commissioner cum secretary in the Department of Mission Shakti, Odisha.
Credit: X/@IPR_Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Friday transferred and posted senior bureaucrat Sujata R Kartikeyan as special secretary in the finance department following an order by the Election Commission.
Kartikeyan, wife of BJD leader V K Pandian, was earlier holding the post of commissioner-cum-secretary in the department of Mission Shakti, with additional charge of Odia language, literature and culture (OLL&C) department.
According to a notification by the general administration department, health and family welfare department secretary Shalini Pandit has been given additional charge of Mission Shakti department & OLL&C department.
Kartikeyan's transfer was prompted by allegations of misuse of public office, leading the EC to relocate her to a non-public dealing department.
The BJP had previously approached the poll panel, urging Kartikeyan's removal from her position, alleging her active involvement as a representative of the ruling BJD in the state.