Bhubaneswar: The process for student union elections in college and university campuses across Odisha moved one step forward with filing of nomination by candidates beginning on Friday.
According to the schedule announced by the authorities, candidates can file their nomination papers between 10 am and 1 pm, while scrutiny is slated to be held from 2 pm to 4 pm. The valid nomination list will be published by 5 pm.
The elections are drawing considerable attention as campus polls are being held after an eight-year gap. Various student organisations have stepped up their efforts to secure support from students ahead of the voting.
Candidates can withdraw their nominations on Saturday between 10 am and 1 pm. The final list of candidates will be published at 3 pm.
Direct elections will be held in 13 universities and 328 colleges, while 205 educational institutions will select their student representatives through the selection process.
After the nomination process, the ‘Why I Stand For’ meeting will be held on October 14, giving candidates an opportunity to present their positions.
Voting is scheduled to be held on October 15 from 8 am to 2 pm. Counting will begin at 2 pm on the same day, and the results will be announced after the counting process.
The oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected student representatives is scheduled for the following day.
Notably, the last student union elections in the state were held in 2017. With campus polls returning after eight years, student organisations are making efforts to mobilise support and strengthen their positions ahead of the elections.
Meanwhile, student union elections at two colleges in Bhadrak district have been cancelled due to security concerns and alleged indiscipline among students, officials said on Friday.
The polls at Bhadrak Women’s College and Naami College in Bhandaripokhari were cancelled ahead of the statewide student union elections scheduled for October 15.
In an office order, Naami (Degree) College said, “It is hereby informed to all the staff and students of +3 streams that the notification No. 120/26 dt. 07.10.26 for conduct of students Union Election is withdrawn now due to certain unavoidable sensitive issues.”
In a separate notice, Bhadrak Women’s College announced the cancellation of its Students’ Union Election for the 2026–27 academic session.
“This is for information of all concerned that, the +3 Students’ Union Election for the Academic Session-2026-27 scheduled to be held on 15/10/26 is hereby cancelled as per the unanimous decision of the Students’ Union Advisory Committee, due to the security reason and unavoidable situation in and outside of the college campus. Further, all previous letter issued earlier for the conduct of the same election in this college are hereby cancelled,” the notice stated.
Following the cancellation, students of Bhadrak Women’s College staged a protest against the decision. Police personnel have been deployed on the college campus to prevent any untoward incidents, sources said.
Earlier, an incident of violence inside the campus of Vyasanagar Autonomous College in Jajpur district on Thursday forced authorities to postpone the students union elections.
Following a bomb-hurling incident, boarders of different hostels have been asked to vacate the premises by Friday morning. The authorities issued a notification stating that the college will remain closed till further orders.