[12] In 2002, he was appointed Sub Collector of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district[13] where he was successful in implementation of the Minimum support price (MSP) for farmers.

[14] Under Pandian’s leadership, RDA, was brought about to a 15 crore surplus and within five months of his taking charge they were able to return the money to the people who had been waiting for over 20 years.

[16] The initiatives included implementing direct bank payments for MGNREGS workers, rehabilitation measures for persons with disabilities, reducing HIV cases and resolving a land category anomaly benefiting farmers.

[citation needed] In October 2023, Pandian took voluntary retirement from his bureaucratic role[5] and was appointed as Chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) with cabinet minister rank.

[21] On 27 November 2023, Pandian joined the Biju Janata Dal formally in presence of party president and Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik.

On 9 June 2024 he announced quiting from politics following the set back faced by Biju Janata Dal in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election.

The swift approval of his Voluntary Retirement (VR) application was another matter that drew criticism from observers, analysts, and politicians.