Patna Women’s College students take a stroll between classes on Wednesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Anil Keshav missed some of his friends at Patna Science College on Wednesday, as the institution opened after Diwali and Chhath vacations.

The postgraduate physics student said: “As it was the first day after the vacations, the attendance at our department was sparse. But it will increase over the next few days, as the semester exams are scheduled to begin soon.”

Semester exams at Patna University would begin on December 14 and continue till January 7. So, the teachers and the students expect a flurry of activities at the colleges and the university over the next few weeks.

V.S. Dubey, a senior geology teacher at Patna University (PU), said: “The students would be busy submitting assignments and projects before the semester exams. There would be a lot of activities.”

Besides exams, elections would be held in PU, after 28 years, on December 11. Students’ bodies wasted no time in starting the campaigning on Wednesday.

RJD student leader Raj Sinha said: “We began election campaigning today (Wednesday) itself. Twelve of our members visited Magadh Mahila College to make the students aware of various issues concerning us.”

Sources said the students’ bodies would focus their campaigning on women’s colleges, as the number of girls willing to take part in the election process was less.

The university election committee was also supposed to meet on Wednesday. But the meeting was postponed.