BHUBANESWAR: There will be no students union election this year too. The common academic calendar for the academic session of 2023-24 for universities and colleges, released by the Higher Education department on Tuesday, has no mention of the election that was stopped in 2018. Usually, the elections were held prior to Durga Puja vacations. However, this academic session, the vacations have been notified from October 21 to 28. But before that, no date has been set aside for the students union elections. The mid-semester examinations for both UG and PG have been scheduled from the last week of October. The total number of teaching days is 180.
The department has directed all vice-chancellors of state public universities and principals of government/autonomous/non-government aided and unaided colleges to follow the common academic calendar for the session strictly. While no student councils have been elected in the last six years, higher education institutions have been nominating student representatives to various bodies where it is required.
Members of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal said non-holding of the elections has been instrumental in maintaining peace on campuses.
However, AVBP - the youth wing of BJP - and Congress’ state unit of NSUI alleges government’s vested interest in it. President of the state NSUI Yasir Nawaz said the elections were stopped in 2018 by the then Higher Education Minister Arun Sahoo on the pretext it led to violence on the campus.
“But now the academic standard of colleges and universities has deteriorated and there are no student leaders to protest it,” Yasir said. Both AVBP and NSUI have threatened to hit the streets if the elections are cancelled this year.