BHUBANESWAR: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) seemed to have taken the lead bagging the highest number of campuses with the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) putting up a strong fight and emerging a close second as student union elections were held in universities and colleges across the state on Thursday.
As counting progressed and results began to pour in, the ABVP claimed to have registered victory in 112 colleges till last reports came in.
The ABVP took an edge securing president posts in BJB Autonomous College and Rajdhani College in the capital city. Aryan Mahapatra emerged victorious at BJB Autonomous College while Abinash Padhi won the president’s post at Rajadhani College.
The BJP’s student wing also claimed victory in half a dozen universities including Sambalpur, Berhampur, Gangadhar Meher, Vikram Dev, Maa Manikeswari and Dharanidhar.
While the results in Utkal University were delayed and not announced till midnight, high drama was witnessed at Rama Devi Women’s University after it was initially reported that the BCJD had won the president’s post. However, the university authorities said the results had not been declared as the counting was halted due to some reasons.
This led to protests by the BCJD and others students alleging foul play. Earlier on the day, the police also detained BCJD state president Ipsita Sahoo from Rama Devi campus after ABVP accused BCJD representatives of offering Lord Jagannath’s Mahaprasad to students and forcing them to vote in their favour. Ipsita, however, had refuted the claims, while alleging that both the administration and police were working to favour ABVP.
Some student organisations, particularly NSUI, blocked NH-16 service road in front of the main gate of Utkal University over delay in declaration of results.
They accused the BJP government of interfering in the poll process to favour ABVP. Security was beefed up on both the campuses to prevent post-poll violence. Meanwhile, BCJD reportedly bagged the prestigious Ravenshaw University and JKBK College in Cuttack.
The BJD’s student wing also fared well in campuses of prominent colleges in Jajpur district.
The ABVP had to face severe loss of face at Bhadrak Autonomous College, the home turf of BJP party president Manmohan Samal and Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj. The college was won by BCJD.
The NSUI also claimed of winning key posts in multiple institutions, while Independent candidates sprung a surprise winning president post at Khalikote University in Ganjam, Sailabala Women’s College in Cuttack and Maharishi College of Natural Law in the state capital.
Election was cancelled and sine die declared at the Laxminarayan (LN) College in Jharsuguda over law and order concern ahead of polling on the day.
The Higher Education department stated that elections were conducted across 12 universities and 325 colleges in which results were declared for six universities and 247 colleges till 10.30 pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, political leaders congratulated the students upon completion of the elections held in the state after a gap of eight years.
Conveying his best wishes to the students who emerged victorious in the campus polls, former Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Success and failure are two sides of the same coin and one wins, while the other learns.”
“I firmly believe that the victorious student leaders will strive to maintain a healthy academic environment in their educational institutions while also shaping their personalities to become successful and ideal students,” he wrote on X.
