BHUBANESWAR: Poll frenzy has gripped colleges and universities in the Capital City two days after the Higher Education Department announced dates for the students’ union elections.
On Monday, Rajdhani College witnessed clash among students while tension flared up on the premises of BJB Autonomous College. NSUI and ABVP also declared their supported candidates for elections in Utkal and Rama Devi Women’s Universities on the day.
Tension erupted at Rajdhani College when three motorcycle-borne youths entered the campus and assaulted a group of students. The two seriously injured students were admitted to the Capital Hospital.
Sources said poll rivalry between two groups of students led to the incident and the attackers were outsiders. Police have detained three persons and college authorities have sought police deployment on the campus to prevent entry of outsiders.
Similarly, students of BJB College locked the Arts block and the main gate for several hours demanding arrest of outsiders who had entered the campus and assaulted a group of students last month. They alleged that though police have been urged to prevent entry of outsiders inside the campus in wake of the elections, nothing has been done so far.
At Utkal University, the Student Advisory Committee submitted its election recommendations to the PG Council. It recommended for holding the election as per the Government schedule and maintaining peace on the campus. The PG Council will take a final decision on the election on Wednesday. A member of the committee said the university is keen on organising election in wake of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) peer team visit to the campus in November this year. On Monday, candidates supported by NSUI and BCJD were announced. While NSUI supported Ashok Kumar Nayak as presidential candidate, Mahesh Prasad has been selected by the BCJD for the post.
At Rama Devi Women’s University, Tanmayee Hota is the independent candidate to contest for the president’s post. Chinmayee Jena and Yasoda Mahanta will be fighting for the president and general secretary posts respectively with BCJD support.
Last year, elections in 17 colleges across the State and Utkal University were cancelled due to campus violence. In the State Capital, polls were scrapped in Rajdhani College, Maharishi College of Natural Law and City Women’s College.