Bhubaneswar: For the sixth time in a row, the Odisha government has decided not to hold elections in university and college campuses across the state. The Common Academic Calendar for the academic session 2023-24 released by the Higher Education Department of the Odisha government on Tuesday does not mention anything about the students’ union elections.
The letter from Rajata Kumar Mansingh, OES-I, Deputy Director, reads that there is a minimum of 180 teaching days this academic year and a total of 72 days excluding Sundays. Moreover, the summer vacation will begin from May 5, 2024 to June 19, 2024. The letter directed all the vice-chancellors of all state public universities under the Higher Education department and principals of all government/autonomous/non-government aided and non-aided higher education institutions to strictly follow the common academic calendar for the session 2023-24.
The campus elections have not taken place in the state since 2018. The elections in colleges and universities were cancelled in 2018 due to Cyclone Titli. The elections were also not conducted in 2020 and 2021 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. No notification to hold polls was also released in 2022, leading to resentment among the students.
The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, staged demonstrations in front of various degree colleges and state public universities across the state on September 5 demanding students’ Union elections.
BJP’s student wing, ABVP, had alleged that not conducting student elections in Odisha to create an academic atmosphere on campuses is a vague excuse by the ruling government. The ABVP threatened to take to the streets and stage a dharna in front of Naveen Niwas if no decision on the elections was taken by the government soon.
