VK Pandian, principal secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been granted voluntary retirement by the Centre. Speculation has been rife that Pandian, a powerful bureaucrat in the state, may enter politics. However, he has faced criticism for violating service condition rules and his way of working is not agreed upon by many in the ruling BJD party. Pandian has been serving as PS to the CM since 2011 and has been on recent whirlwind tours using the state chopper.