Students' Union polls to be held after 7 years
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is planning to hold elections to Students' Unions in colleges and universities this year, after a gap of seven years. Speaking to reporters here, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, 'Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had earlier promised that Students' Union elections would be held this year.'
Efforts are being made to commence the academic session for undergraduate and postgraduate courses by July 15 so that the first semester is completed on time before Dussehra holidays, and students' studies are not hampered during the elections, he said.
On the extension of the deadline for admission into undergraduate courses in higher educational institutions under his department, Suraj made it clear that the students will get ample time for admission after the announcement of Class 12 exam results by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha.
The Class 12 students will be given at least 10 days time to upload their mark-sheets after the publication of their results, he said. Notably, on Tuesday, the government extended the deadline for admission into the degree courses from May 20 to June 1.
'This year, we started the admission process for UG courses earlier than other years, on April 16, so that we could wrap it up at the earliest and the syllabus and the students' elections could be completed on time. Last year, the admission process continued till December,' he said.
The previous BJD government had stopped holding college elections since 2018 due to various reasons, including violence on campuses and the Covid-19 pandemic. The BJP, in its 2024 election manifesto, had promised to resume the students' elections after coming to power.
Last year in December, the Chief Minister had said that elections to Students' Unions in colleges and universities, which were stopped since 2018, will be held from 2025 academic year.
Speaking during the the 49th session of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of Odisha, Majhi had said, 'Students' Union elections in colleges and universities have not been conducted in the State for many years. I am still at a loss as to why the previous government had stopped it.'
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