Bhubaneswar: Students’ union polls, which were last held in Odisha in 2017, will be conducted across campuses on Oct 15. State higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who made the announcement at Lok Seva Bhawan on Monday, said the official notification for the elections will be issued on Wednesday.Following the last student union polls in 2017, the state govt had cancelled the elections scheduled for Oct 11, 2018, due to Cyclone Titli. In 2019, it advised degree colleges and state public universities to adopt an alternative process for nominating student representatives to various institutional bodies, without giving a satisfactory reason for not holding campus polls.For the past eight years, students have been demanding elections. In 2024, after BJP formed the govt, it promised to restore the elections. On Dec 26, 2024, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced at a meeting in Bhubaneswar that campus polls would be held in 2025. “Students’ union polls are not a mere formality but a vital platform for young people to participate, represent their peers and develop leadership skills that will help shape the state’s future generations,” Majhi, in a social media post, said, adding, “Yet, since 2017, the previous govt kept these elections suspended, offering one excuse after another, while an entire generation of students was kept away from choosing their representatives. We had promised the students of Odisha that this democratic right would be restored. Today, we have fulfilled that promise through action.”Majhi urged the students to participate with confidence, discipline and democratic spirit, saying active youth and vibrant campus democracy were vital for a prosperous and developed Odisha. “What was kept pending for years is now being brought back with a clear decision and firm resolve,” he added.Under the higher education department’s eligibility rules, students enrolled in PPP-mode self-financing courses cannot vote or contest elections. Candidates must have at least 75% attendance and no criminal record or pending disciplinary case. A student may contest once for an office-bearer post and twice for an executive member post.According to the official letter sent by the govt to degree colleges and universities, election expenditure has been capped at Rs 5,000 per candidate and candidates cannot receive funds from political parties. Institutions will set up a grievance redressal mechanism, headed by the dean of student welfare or the teacher in-charge of student affairs, to handle election-related complaints.Vice-chancellors and principals may adopt a nomination-based system where conditions are not suitable for free and fair elections.
