India

Opposition Parties Accuse Odisha Government of Manipulating Student Elections

By Debabrata Mohanty

Opposition parties Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress have accused the Odisha government, led by Mohan Majhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of manipulating the student union elections held on 15 October. The elections, the first since 2017, were marred by clashes and raised concerns about security, institutional autonomy and compliance with the Lyngdoh Commission guidelines. The state higher education department reported that 6,649 students contested elections across 347 colleges and 13 state universities. The polls were postponed in 2017 due to Cyclone Titli and campus violence, and further delayed by the Covid‑19 pandemic. The Majhi government had promised to resume campus elections two years ago and announced the resumption in April 2025, when the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act came into force, allowing university students’ union presidents and secretaries to join the senate.

BJD lawmaker Byomkesh Ray alleged that the government favoured the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and that BJD‑backed candidates had their nominations rejected. He said elections were cancelled in more than 50 institutions where the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) had a strong chance of winning. Another BJD legislator, Sarada Prasanna Jena, claimed cancellations in 206 colleges. BCJD president Ipsita Sahu said ministers and lawmakers pressured opposition‑backed candidates to withdraw nominations and questioned the timing of candidate lists at Utkal University, Rama Devi Women’s University and Ravenshaw University, which were published after 9 p.m. after scrutiny.

Dipankar Rout, a candidate for president at Kendrapara’s UK Mahabir College, was allegedly assaulted and forced to withdraw his nomination. Students blocked the Rajnagar‑Cuttack state highway for nearly five hours in protest, and there were allegations of assault at the hospital where Rout was being treated. The election at Khariar (Autonomous) College was cancelled amid violence.

The Congress accused the government of selectively cancelling elections and enforcing attendance requirements unfairly. Congress student wing chief Bibhuti Bhushan Mahapatra alleged that the government cancelled elections in institutions where the ABVP lacked support and that nomination papers of Congress‑backed candidates were rejected at Pushpagiri College in Mahanga despite a 75% attendance rate.

Abhilash Panda, state chief of BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, accused the BJD of making misleading statements and curtailing students’ democratic rights during its rule. He said the ABVP could win unopposed in several colleges where the BJD had no candidates.

Police chief Binaytosh Mishra reviewed security arrangements via videoconference with district superintendents and senior officers on Saturday. He directed the police to ensure peaceful polling, maintain order on campuses and take preventive measures against violence.