Students’ union polls on Oct 15

Bhubaneswar: Students’ union elections will be held in public colleges and universities across Odisha on October 15, ending an eight-year hiatus, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said on Monday.

The announcement came after a meeting between Suraj and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the Lok Seva Bhawan here. “Government-run and aided colleges and universities will issue election notifications on October 7, while candidates can file their nomination papers on October 9. Voting will take place on October 15, and the elected representatives will take the oath of office the following day,” the minister said.

“The election is aimed at preparing the leadership for the future from the college level,” Suraj said, adding that the polls had remained suspended since 2018. The previous students’ union elections were held in 2017. The then BJD government subsequently stopped the polls amid factors including Cyclone Titli, campus-related violence and, later, the COVID-19 pandemic. The BJP had promised in its 2024 election manifesto to resume students’ union elections after coming to power. Suraj said the government needed time to create a conducive atmosphere for elections across campuses. Asked about the short election schedule, the minister said a prolonged process could disrupt studies and other academic activities, making it preferable to complete the exercise quickly.

According to a notification issued by the Higher Education department, nominations will be filed on October 9 between 10 am and 1 pm, followed by scrutiny from 2 pm to 4 pm. The list of valid nominations will be published at 5 pm that day.

Candidates can withdraw their nominations on October 10 between 10 am and 1 pm, with the final list scheduled to be published at 3 pm. Candidates will participate in a “Why I Stand For” meeting on October 14. Polling will be held from 8 am to 2 pm on October 15, followed by counting of votes.

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for 11 am on October 16, which has been declared a holiday, the notification said. The department said the elections must remain completely separate from political parties and that only students on regular rolls would be eligible to participate.

Students enrolled in self-financing courses under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode will not be allowed to contest or vote, it said. Heads of institutions have been directed to upload candidate details on the Higher Education Information Management System (HIMS) portal and follow the department’s standard operating procedures and Supreme Court directions to ensure orderly elections with minimum disruption to classes, it added.

The notification also prescribed a code of conduct for candidates and their supporters, requiring decorum on social media and other digital platforms. It prohibited abusive or derogatory language, personal attacks, defamatory allegations and the circulation of false, misleading, manipulated or AI-generated fake content.

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