Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced, today, Thursday, December 26, that students’ union elections in the state’s colleges and universities, halted since 2018, will resume from the next academic year. This was stated in a report by PTI. 

Addressing reporters after inaugurating the 49th session of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Odisha, Majhi expressed his government’s commitment to reviving the democratic exercise in educational institutions. 

He stated, “Students’ union elections in colleges and universities have not been conducted in the state for many years. I am still at a loss as to why the previous government had stopped it.” 

Majhi assured that his administration is “actively considering conducting students’ union elections in the next academic year, and it will be held definitely.”  

The previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government had suspended these elections in 2018, citing incidents of campus violence and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had been pressing for the resumption of students' union polls, filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Orissa High Court in September 2023, seeking directives to restart the elections in state-run colleges and universities. 

Majhi’s announcement has rekindled hopes among student bodies for restoring campus democracy, which many view as a vital platform for leadership and civic engagement.