Bhubaneswar, July 31: Students' union elections in the state are likely to be held in September, but campaign for the big day has already begun here.
With campuses across the state bustling with new faces, aspiring student leaders can be seen reaching out to them to put across their viewpoints.
Banners and posters have come up in most of the prominent colleges where prospective candidates are making efforts to woo freshers. At a number of colleges, the candidates have come up with innovative ideas to break the ice.
Aspirants of Utkal University have been interacting with the freshers since the day they joined the varsity, giving them a tour of the campus as well. The Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) has declared Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, former president of Bhadrak autonomous college, as a presidential candidate and Manoranjan Swain as a candidate for general secretary.
"We will work together for the all round development of the varsity and we are trying to convince the newcomers on the same lines. We have been working for the benefit of the students throughout the year and we hope they understand that," said Rajeshraj Swain, vice-president of BCJD and a PhD scholar at the varsity.
Sangram Keshari Balabantaray, a general secretary candidate of BJB Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, had a tough time running from department to department meeting the newcomers.
"My priority will be to set up a green campus and conduct extracurricular activities on the campus," he said.
Aspirants are also promoting themselves on the social media. A number of candidates have formed Whatsapp groups to interact with the newcomers.
"I have been assuring them of providing all kinds of help, including notes, and also trying to make them feel safe by making sure that they are not bullied. Besides, I have been posting interesting information about the college to create a sense of belongingness for their educational institution," said Aroop Pattnaik, a general secretary candidate.
"I will use technology for campaigning, including sending mails and putting up my poll promises on Facebook," said Akanksha Mohaaptra, a candidate at Rama Devi Women's University.
"Class campaigning is already on. Now we need to win over the new batch of students and the welcome parties are the best occasion for that," said Anshuman Mohanty, a student of Rajdhani College in the city.
