BJD student wing sweeps Rama Devi Women’s University as ABVP claims statewide lead in Odisha campus polls

The Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), the student arm of the Biju Janata Dal, has won the key student union posts at Rama Devi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, while the BJP-linked Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has claimed the larger share of campuses across Odisha. These were the state’s first college and university union elections in eight years, the last having been held in 2017, OdishaTV reported.

Late-night result at Rama Devi

Voting at the women’s university ran from 8 am to 2 pm on 15 October. The declaration was delayed for hours while the authorities reconciled the votes, and the result came only in the early hours of Friday, 16 October, according to OdishaTV and Kalinga TV. Police were posted at the campus as students waited outside.

• President: Sonali Behera (BCJD)
• Vice-president: Sai Arpita Mahapatra (BCJD)
• General secretary: Laxmipriya Biswal (BCJD)
• Joint secretary: Sudeshna Khuntia (BCJD), as listed by Kalinga TV

At Utkal University, ABVP won the president’s post through Abhiram Mishra and the general secretary’s post through Ayushree Pradhan, while BCJD’s Jyotishree Sahu won joint general secretary, Kalinga TV reported.

Rival claims of success

At a press conference on 16 October, ABVP state secretary Diptimayee Pratihari said the outfit had won on over 81% of campuses and taken 8 of the 13 university president posts, Argus News reported. The same report put ABVP’s tally at 117 of 337 institutions, a figure that does not obviously match the percentage; the organisation did not explain the basis. Pratihari also alleged that BCJD used money and muscle power at Rama Devi, a charge to which no BCJD response was published.

BCJD president Ipshitaa Sahoo said her group had won in “more than 100 colleges”, Sambad English reported, and said, “The BJP has failed to win over Gen Z.” Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan put ABVP’s share at more than 70% of colleges, according to a Sambad English headline.

Allegations of interference

Ahead of polling, BCJD accused the state’s BJP government of using the administration to help ABVP. At a 12 October press conference, it cited an alleged audio clip involving a Rama Devi assistant professor and sought his suspension and an inquiry, The Statesman reported. No response from the government or the university was included in that report. The BJD also accused the ruling party of pressing universities, including Rama Devi and Utkal, to delay counting.

Sources: OdishaTV, Kalinga TV, Argus News, Sambad English, The Statesman