After a gap of eight long years, students union elections in Odisha has returned to the college and university campuses of the state. The main process of the elections began on October 9 with the filing of nomination papers. The atmosphere on the campuses felt alive.
Students filed their nominations for various posts from 10 am to 1 pm. After this, the nominations were scrutinized from 2 pm to 4 pm. The final list of valid candidates was published at 5 pm.
A few incidents of unrest was marked in a few colleges and universities in Odisha. But was well managed by the police and the authorities.
Voting for the Students union elections in Odisha
The voting for the Students union elections in Odisha will be held on October 15. Regular Student elections had been suspended in the state since 2017. The elections were earlier banned due to reasons such as violence, unrest and affecting the atmosphere of education on campus.
Now, enthusiasm is being seen among the students as the elections are back. Conducting the elections peacefully and in an orderly manner is a big challenge for the college and university authorities.
To prevent any untoward incident during the nomination process, emphasis is being placed on security arrangements and maintaining order on the campus. Police assistance has been taken in major colleges.
The candidates will have to follow the prescribed rules during the election. As per the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, there are rules related to election expenses, campaigning, candidates’ qualifications and discipline. There will also be emphasis on preventing violence, intimidation and outside interference on the campus.
On the other hand, student organizations are getting active regarding this election being held after a long time. Issues like quality of education on campus, shortage of teachers, hostel problems, infrastructure and rights of students figured prominently in the election.
This election is not limited to the choice of student representatives of colleges and universities. It is also seen as an important election to know the political attitude of the youth in the state.
