BHUBANESWAR: The state government may take a decision soon on holding student union elections in colleges and universities during the current academic session, which has been discontinued for nearly a decade.
The issue came up for discussion at a meeting of BJP ministers and MLAs here on Monday. The meeting convened by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at his residence was attended by most ministers and more than 50 MLAs.
However, the chief minister, engaged in official work at Lok Seva Bhawan, skipped the meeting which was convened to review the month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan being observed from September 17 to October 17 to mark the 76th birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the CM’s absence, state BJP president Manmohan Samal chaired the meeting.
Sources said the demand for resuming student union elections was discussed at the meeting. The issue of campus elections has assumed importance with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, repeatedly demanding for restoration of student body formation.
An MLA who attended the meeting said the government could take a decision on the matter shortly.
Student union elections were last held in Odisha in 2017. The previous BJD government stopped the polls in 2018, citing various reasons, including Cyclone Titli, campus-related issues and later the Covid-19 pandemic.
After coming to power in 2024, the BJP government had stated that student union elections will be revived. In favour of restoring the campus polls, Majhi had earlier said this would provide students an opportunity to develop leadership skills.
However, elections were not held during the 2025-26 academic session. With the new academic session underway, student organisations have renewed their demand for a clear decision.
Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj had earlier said the government is considering the resumption of elections and his department had been asked to examine the issue and give its recommendations.
Samal reportedly urged ministers and MLAs to undertake extensive tours of their constituencies and ensure wider public participation in the month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.