ABVP Threatens Campus Agitation For Students’ Union Elections Across Odisha

Berhampur: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), BJP’s student wing, has demanded resumption of students’ union elections in Odisha.

Speaking at a presser in Berhampur on Tuesday, Anil Kumar Swain, Ganjam unit coordinator of ABVP said this will be the fifth consecutive year when the students’ union elections are not being conducted in the state. Students’ union elections were cancelled in 2018 due to Cyclone Titli, in 2019 for campus violence and in 2020 for COVID pandemic.

“Instead of elections, educational institutions are now being run by committees formed by students. In the absence of a students’ union, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), the student wing of ruling BJD, has formed campus committees in the university and autonomous colleges,” he said.

Swain alleged that the convenor of the BCJD was involved in the ragging in Binayak Acharya College at Berhampur. “It was just one example of the ruling party’s ‘Gundaraj’ in the state and the only reason to keep the students’ union elections at bay,” he added.

He further said the government is not holding students’ union elections on the plea of restoring educational environment in the institutions. But there has been no improvement in either condition or performance of colleges and universities.

While the NAAC grade of Utkal University and Berhampur University has nosedived, incidents of ragging, corruption and academic degradation in campuses have become a common affair. A lot of faculty posts are lying vacant and corruption has become deep rooted in the educational institutions, he added.

“We would resort to agitation in every campus across the state if government does not take a decision on holding the students’ union elections soon, said the ABVP leader.