Bhubaneswar: Students’ union elections will be held in colleges across Odisha October 15 after eight years, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said Monday.
As per the schedule issued by the Higher Education Department, colleges and universities will issue the official election notification October 7.
Candidates will file their nomination papers October 9, following which campaigning will begin on campuses across the state.
Polling will be held October 15, while the elected student representatives will take oath at swearing-in ceremonies October 16.
The announcement came after a meeting between Suraj and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, where the roadmap for restoring elected student bodies in higher education institutions was discussed. Notably, student union elections were last conducted in Odisha in 2017.
“The election is aimed at preparing the leadership for the future,” Minister Suraj said, adding that students’ union elections had remained suspended since 2018. The BJP had promised in its 2024 election manifesto to resume students’ union elections after coming to power in the state.
Also Read : Odisha students’ union polls: Who can contest elections Oct 15?
“We required some time to create a conducive atmosphere for conducting elections on different campuses,” he said, thanking the Chief Minister for approving the resumption of students’ union elections in the state.
He said the elections would be conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee. The minister also criticised the previous BJD government for keeping students’ union elections suspended for eight years.
Student union election schedule
- Election notification issuance: October 7
- Nomination papers filing: October 9
- Polling: October 15
- Vote counting and result declaration: October 15
- Swearing-in of elected representatives: October 16
Eligibility Criteria for Candidates
According to the official notification, the eligibility criteria for candidates are as follows:
- Undergraduate (+3 degree) students between the ages of 17 and 22 years and postgraduate students up to a maximum age of 25 years as on the date of notification may contest the election.
- A candidate shall not have any academic arrears in the year in which he/she contests the election.
- A candidate shall have a minimum classroom attendance of 75% to participate in the election.
- A candidate shall have one opportunity to contest for the post of an office-bearer and two opportunities to contest for the post of an executive member.
- A candidate shall have no previous criminal record and shall not have been tried or convicted of any criminal offence or misdemeanour. Further, the candidate shall not have been subjected to any disciplinary action by the university/college authorities, nor shall any disciplinary proceeding be pending against him/her at the time of contesting the election.
- A candidate must be a regular, full-time student of the concerned institution, admitted through SAMS in either a regular or self-financing programme. Students enrolled under distance education or public-private partnership (PPP) mode shall not be eligible to contest the election.
PNN & Agencies