Cancellation of student union polls at major institutes, including Ravenshaw and Utkal universities, has forced political parties to set their eyes on the remaining colleges, where the elections will be held on October 11.
While student union polls at Ramadevi Women’s University and BJB College will be the priority for student outfits in Bhubaneswar, all eyes will be on Christ College in Cuttack.
Sources said while a major portion of funds would have been spent to fund poll campaigns at Utkal and Ravenshaw universities, the student outfits would now use the money at other colleges.
“Feasts have become a regular affair from last week in some colleges and student leaders are also distributing costly gifts, including smart phones,” said a student of Christ College in Cuttack.
Former state president of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Itish Kumar Pardhan accused the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), student wing of the BJD, of using money power to woo students.
Loud cheer: Students of Christ College campaign for the polls. Picture by Badrika Nath Das
“Supporters of the student wing of the BJD are resorting to violence on campuses where they hardly have any chance of winning. They are also spending huge money on other campuses to get votes,” Pardhan said. National secretary of ABVP Avilash Panda, too, alleged the BCJD of being desperate to win the polls.
“The students are no more inclined towards the BCJD for which they are using muscle power to threaten them. The BCJD has been creating violence on the campuses for years,” Panda said.
Several campuses in the twin cities witnessed incidents of violence leading to cancellation of polls. Authorities of Rajdhani College and D.R. Nayapalli College in Bhubaneswar cancelled the polls on Thursday after violence erupted on both the campuses.
While low intensity bombs were hurled at D.R. Nayapalli College, violence broke out in Rajdhani College after candidature of two presidential aspirants were rejected. Both the colleges have been declared sine die.
Working president of BCJD Debi Ranjan Tripathy, however, denied allegations of both the ABVP and the NSUI.
“We have been winning more than 90 per cent of colleges in the state for years and the students have been supporting us. This year too, the BCJD will emerge victories in the student union polls,” he said.