Odisha to hold students’ union elections on October 15 after eight-year gap

Odisha will hold students’ union elections across public universities and government and aided colleges on October 15, 2026, after an eight-year gap. The election process will begin with notifications on October 7. The guidelines set eligibility criteria, campaign restrictions, a Rs 5,000 spending cap and prohibit political-party funding, abusive content and AI-generated misinformation.

Bhubaneswar: Students' union elections will be held in colleges across Odisha on October 15 after eight years, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said on Monday.The youth of Odisha are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are partners in building Odisha today. Their voice, ideas and aspirations must have a place in our campuses and in the democratic process. Student Union elections are therefore not a mere formality, but a vital… pic.twitter.com/qEUz2HkNeI— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) October 5, 2026 He made the announcement after a meeting with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the Lok Seva Bhawan here."Colleges will issue election notifications on October 7, while candidates can file their nomination papers on October 9. Voting will be held on October 15, and the elected candidates will take oath of office before noon on October 16," he said.Odisha Student Union Elections: Key DatesThe Higher Education Department has announced the schedule for Students’ Union and other student body elections for the 2026-27 academic session. October 7: Official notification on election timelineOctober 9: Nomination filing (10… pic.twitter.com/3jMFlfgjSm— Ashirbad Rauta (@AshirbadACE) October 5, 2026 "The election is aimed at preparing the leadership for the future," he said, adding that students' union elections had remained suspended since 2018.The BJP had promised in its 2024 election manifesto to resume students' union elections after coming to power in the state."We required some time to create a conducive atmosphere for conducting elections on different campuses," Suraj said, thanking the chief minister for approving the resumption of students' union elections in the state.Tribal Students’ ‘Ulgulan’ Foot March Enters Bhiwandi, Heads Towards Raj Bhavan Over Ashram School Issues He said the elections would be conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee.The minister also criticised the previous BJD government for keeping students' union elections suspended for eight years.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Process of elections to be completed in next 10 days; will begin from October 7 and come to end on October 16, 2026