Odisha government announces to hold student union election after a gap of eight years

The Odisha government on Monday (Octobeer 5, 2026) announced that student union elections will be held on higher education campuses after a gap of eight years. The elections will be completed within the next 10 days.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved conducting student union elections, which involves massive security arrangement in view of possible violence on campuses.

Speaking after his meeting with the Odisha Chief Minister, State Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, “the detailed timeline and complete information will be provided by the department very soon. A final decision has been taken to hold the elections before the Dussehra holidays, and colleges will issue their own notifications on the October 7, 2026. Nominations will be filed on the October 9, and the elections will be held on the October 15 and the oath-taking ceremony will be held on the morning of October 16.”

“We believe that conducting these elections is important because today’s students and student leaders are the future leaders of Odisha. This process will help them understand democratic responsibilities, the importance of democracy, and constitutional values, preparing them to take up leadership roles in the future,” said Mr. Suryabanshi.

Stating that the this is a significant step, the Minister informed “student union elections had been suspended since 2017. We had also promised in our election manifesto that these elections would be conducted. After formation of our government in 2024, we spent 2025 addressing various issues on campuses, and in 2026 we are now moving ahead with student union elections.”

He said to ensure peaceful and orderly elections, the Supreme Court’s 2005 verdict and the recommendations of the J. M Lyngdoh Committee, which were followed earlier, will continue to be implemented.

“All colleges will receive notifications from the department. It will be up to colleges to take decisions in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines. If there is no conducive environment, if student strength is low, or in similar circumstances, the same procedures that were followed earlier will be adopted,” said Mr. Suryabanshi.

Clarifying on short time left for elections, the Minister said, “when elections are announced long in advance, law-and-order issues tend to arise. Since we have decided to complete college elections within 10 days, I believe campus violence will be minimal.”

He urged all political parties to act responsibly to ensure that the college elections are conducted smoothly.