Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's sister Gita Mehta declines Padma Shri, author says timing may be 'misconstrued' with polls on horizon

In a statement, Gita Mehta said she is deeply honoured to be a recipient of a Padma Shri, but declined the offer as “there is a general election looming and timing might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the government and me, which I would regret.” New York-based author and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s older sister Gita Mehta on Thursday announced that she has declined the Padma Shri award. In a statement, she said she is “deeply honoured that the government should think me worthy of a Padma Shri, but with great regret I decline it, as there is a general election looming and timing might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the government and me, which I would regret.” The development comes after Gita and her husband, famous publisher Sonny Mehta, had met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few months before the award was announced, News18 reported. S_onny Mehta has published the autobiographies and biographies of a number of famous people, including former American president Barack Obama, former British president Tony Blair and tennis star Andre Agassi. The announcement of the award for Gita is being seen as the BJP’s attempt to woo the Odisha chief minister in case of a hung assembly in the upcoming general elections.