BJP or Naveen Patnaik: On whose side are Odisha’s students, Gen Z? | Political Pulse News
The results of Odisha’s student union elections have underlined the growing political stakes on campuses, with the RSS’ student wing ABVP winning seven of nine posts at Utkal University while the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), the BJD’s student wing, swept the polls at Rama Devi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar.
Across 337 government and aided colleges and state-run universities, the ABVP secured around 141 presidents’ posts, while the BCJD won nearly 120, officials said. The Congress-affiliated NSUI bagged around 30 presidents’ posts, with independents winning the rest.
Both the BJP and the BJD claimed their respective student wings’ victory in the student polls. The results, however, offered no clear mandate for any one organisation, even as the contest emerged as a test of political influence, youth sentiment and organisational strength.
The state Higher Education Department has not released a consolidated party-wise tally.
Held for the first time in eight years in Odisha – and more than two years after the BJP came to power – the elections witnessed unprecedented involvement of political parties, with senior leaders overseeing preparations, helping finalise candidates and, in some cases, funding their campaigns.
Candidates invoked the names of party chiefs in speeches to garner votes, while posters and banners in party colours, star campaigners, lavish meals and SUV rallies pointed to the growing influence of mainstream politics on campuses.
High stakes for BJP
The elections assumed significance for the BJP, which had promised to revive the students’ union polls in its 2024 election manifesto. The party closely watched the results as an opportunity to strengthen its connect with Gen Z, with the ABVP making an all-out effort to expand its footprint across the state’s campuses.
The BJP’s efforts also came amid a national political narrative that young voters were distancing themselves from the party. A strong ABVP performance could have helped counter that perception, particularly with several BJP MLAs reportedly involved in the elections behind the scenes and candidates allegedly receiving financial support.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi with newly elected student representatives from various universities and colleges across the state. (Source: Express Photo)
An overwhelming ABVP victory would also have reinforced the BJP’s claim about its dominance in state politics and potentially weakened the BJD’s support base among young voters. “Such a verdict could have been used by the party to project a shift in young voters’ support away from the BJD after the regional party lost the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha in June 2024,” a BJP insider said.
The BJP also accused the previous BJD government of depriving students of their democratic rights. “The previous government kept student union elections suspended to serve its political interests, depriving students of their democratic voice. Our government fulfilled its promise to the student community by successfully conducting the elections and restoring the spirit of democracy on campuses,” Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi posted on X Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X on Saturday to congratulate the ABVP. “Heartfelt congratulations to all the karyakartas of ABVP for achieving a resounding victory in the Odisha Student Parliament elections. First Punjab University, then Delhi University, and now in 13 universities of Odisha, this victory of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad clearly conveys the message that the youth power of the country is firmly aligned not with the powerful forces that spread falsehoods, illusions, and chaos, but with the ‘Nation First’ ideology. This result is a stern response to the anti-national forces,” he said in a post.
Patnaik stance
The BCJD, which had traditionally been a dominant force on campuses when the BJD was in power, put up a strong fight to retain its position. The regional party, however, accused the BJP of using government machinery and the police to influence the elections. The results, with the ABVP and BCJD winning a substantial share of presidents’ posts, did not establish clear dominance for either organisation.
BJD president and former CM Naveen Patnaik, who had rarely commented on campus elections in the past, took aim at the BJP government after the results, alleging the use of unfair means to influence the polls.
In a post on X, Patnaik said the outcome reflected the dedication and unity of Odisha’s Gen Z, youth and student community.
“I commend all the leaders of BJD and BCJD who stood firmly against the BJP government’s conspiracy to win the Student Parliament election through injustice and unfair means. Let us all unite to move forward in maintaining the academic environment of the college and shaping a bright future for the students,” he said.
Tension on campuses
The political tensions were evident at several campuses. A video of senior BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo confronting police outside a women’s college in his Nayagarh constituency over the alleged entry of non-students into the campus went viral.
High drama unfolded outside Rama Devi University, the state capital’s premier women’s university, where a former BJD minister, the Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das, two BJD MLAs and other party leaders staged a dharna alleging a delay in the declaration of results.
The delay triggered a commotion and a scuffle between ABVP and BCJD supporters, with police struggling to bring the situation under control. Amid heightened tensions, the results were declared at 2.40 am, with the BCJD sweeping the polls.
At Utkal University, another premier institution, the results were declared at around 2 am, hours after the NSUI and other Congress leaders blocked the national highway to protest the delay.
BJD play
BJD leaders said the results were a response to those who had questioned the party’s political relevance following its crushing defeat in the 2024 Assembly and general elections.
“The ruling BJP used all unfair means to influence the polls and they even cancelled the polls wherever the ABVP had a weak organisational base. Despite all conspiracies, the results are a clear indication of the growing popularity of Naveen Patnaik among Gen Z and the youth, who would give a befitting reply to the double-engine government in the days to come,” BJD leader Bijay Nayak said.
The elections largely turned into a direct contest between the ABVP and the BCJD, with their parent organisations, the BJP and the BJD, pulling out all stops to secure victories for candidates they backed. Victory processions involving student leaders and senior politicians further highlighted the parties’ involvement and the stakes attached to the polls. The NSUI finished a distant third overall.
