Bhubaneswar: Student union elections will be held across Odisha Thursday after a gap of 8 years, with students set to elect their representatives in colleges and universities across the state.
Ahead of the polls, candidates presented their agendas, plans and promises during ‘Why I Stand For’ meetings held on campuses Wednesday. They made a final push to secure voter support as campaigning drew to a close.
The run-up to the elections saw incidents of violence at Utkal University and several other colleges and universities. Security has been tightened across campuses to ensure peaceful polling.
Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 15, followed by counting and the declaration of results. The newly elected student representatives will take the oath at 11 a.m. October 16.
According to the Higher Education Department, students will decide the fate of 6,891 candidates across 359 higher education institutions. Of these, 6,533 candidates are contesting in 346 colleges, while 358 are in the fray across 13 universities.
The post of president has attracted the highest number of candidates, with 866 contestants, including 828 from colleges and 38 from universities. A total of 716 candidates are contesting for vice-president, including 679 from colleges and 37 from universities.
Another 616 candidates are in the fray for general secretary, with 593 contesting in colleges and 23 in universities.
A total of 8,785 candidates had filed nominations for the elections across 359 institutions. Of these, 1,216 nomination papers were rejected and 443 candidates withdrew their nominations, leaving 6,891 candidates in the final list.
With polling day approaching, excitement and anticipation are building among students and candidates across the state.
