Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has launched a blistering attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, accusing them of systematic rigging, political interference, and gross administrative overreach in the ongoing student union elections across Odisha’s universities and degree colleges.
During a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) President Ipsita Sahoo and BJD Media Coordinator Lenin Mohanty alleged that the state government is subverting democratic processes out of fear of a crushing defeat.
At the centre of the opposition’s allegations is a controversial audio clip released by the BCJD, which allegedly features Dr Sanjay Roul, an Assistant Professor at Rama Devi Women’s University. In the recording, the individual allegedly discusses instructions to spend whatever funds necessary to secure a victory for Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student organisation linked to the BJP’s ideological ecosystem, while referring to direct intervention from the Chief Minister’s office and pressure on university authorities. “I received this audio from a student of the college and was shocked to hear the conversation,” she noted.
The BJD has demanded immediate suspension of the assistant professor, a thorough investigation into the leaked conversation, and formal clarifications from the CMO regarding the involvement of high-ranking state officials.
Sahoo further claimed the government had delayed preparations for two years before suddenly announcing the elections within a short window of seven to ten days, questioning the urgency and alleging personal calls from the Chief Minister to university officials to influence outcomes.
Besides Rama Devi Women’s University, where the administration was accused of acting under pressure from the Chief Minister’s Office and using unbudgeted funds to favour ABVP candidates, the BCJD president cited specific incidents. In Nayagarh Model Degree College, the BJD student panel was set for an uncontested win until the District Collector intervened and directed the principal to cancel the elections, she alleged while playing another audio clip in which the principal claimed that there was no law and order situation at the institute and polls were scrapped following the directive.
Similarly at Khallikote Unitary University, faculty members were alleged to have campaigned for ABVP candidates in official college WhatsApp groups. At FM Autonomous College in Baleshwar, prominent BJP leaders and celebrities were said to have been granted campus access for campaigning in breach of the code of conduct. At BJB Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar, she added that police forces were deployed to harass BJD student leaders while internal clashes between ABVP and BJP Yuva Morcha factions disrupted campus peace.
Sahoo further claimed that guest faulty have been brought into Utkal University in Bhubaneswar to work as BJP agents. “The HODs are also being pressured to vote for their candidates,” she said, adding that the BCJD is poised to win the polls in the state’s premier institute.
Mohanty asserted that the government was acting out of fear of a rout by the BCJD and deliberately cancelling elections in places such as Nayagarh and Khariar where the opposition student wing held a strong lead. He alleged that criminal elements were entering campuses under state protection, turning premier universities into arenas for political muscle-flexing and what he described as state-sponsored rigging. Mohanty claimed the polls had been hastily called to divert attention from administrative failures, including controversy over the MMDR Amendment Act and errors in school textbooks.
Dismissing the state’s tactics as desperate attempts of “vote chori” and “candidate chori”, BJD leaders expressed confidence that the youth and student community of Odisha will see through the pressure tactics. Asserting that the BCJD has already secured strong support and uncontested victories in around 100 colleges across the state, the party called upon students to resist state repression and deliver a decisive verdict at the ballot box.
The return of student polls after eight years has been disrupted by violence, prompting concerns over security measures, the independence of educational institutions, and compliance with the Lyngdoh Commission framework. Data from the state higher education department indicates that 6,649 students are participating in the elections across 347 colleges and 13 state universities.
