Ending an eight-year drought of campus democracy, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj announced that college and university student union elections in Odisha will be held on October 15.The crucial announcement followed a high-level meeting between the Minister and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to finalise the roadmap for restoring democracy across higher education campuses in the state.The order, issued on October 5 by Joint Secretary Mousumi Nayak (letter No. 53237/HE), follows the state’s move to restore elected student bodies. Regular union polls were last held in 2017. The 2018 cycle was cancelled after Cyclone Titli and campus disturbances, and the process stayed suspended through the pandemic and the change of government. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had promised a revival after taking office; the 2025–26 session passed without polls. This notification is the first firm calendar.The timetable is tight. Colleges must issue the election dateline on October 7. Nominations will be filed on October 9 from 10 am to 1 pm, scrutinised the same afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm, and valid names published at 5 pm. Withdrawals are open on October 10 from 10 am to 1 pm, with the final candidate list at 3 pm that day. Candidates will face a “Why I Stand For” meeting on October 14. Polling runs from 8 am to 2 pm on October 15, with counting starting immediately afterwards. The oath-taking ceremony is at 11 am on October 16, marked as a presidential holiday.The rules are as pointed as the dates. Student elections and student representation must be completely separated from political parties. Only students on the regular rolls may take part in any capacity. Students in self-financing courses under the PPP mode cannot contest or vote. Heads of institutions must enter and download candidate details on the HIMS portal and follow the department’s SOP, along with Supreme Court directions on orderly campus polls and minimum disruption of classes.
Odisha to Hold Student Union Elections on October 15 After 8-Year Break
