Students of RD Women’s College in Bhubaneswar and (above) Khallikote College in Ganjam celebrate victory in elections. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati and Gopal Krishna Reddy

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 8: From urban polls to college elections, BJD is on a roll.

BJD-backed candidates registered a thumping victory in students’ union polls, which was held peacefully at several colleges across the state today.

Apart from the universities at Berhampur, Sambalpur and Balasore, the ruling party swept the campus polls here.

Mahesh Prasad was elected president of BJB Autonomous College, which saw a triangular contest. More than 2,000 students turned up to vote. At the Ramadevi Women’s Autonomous College, 987 students exercised their voting rights with Ipsita Sahoo bagging the plum post. Puspa Bharati Das of Kamala Nehru Women’s College and Subhashish Mishra of Basic Science College will now be at the helm of their respective student unions.

Attributing the resounding victory of candidates sponsored by the BJD, the party’s student wing president Byomakesh Ray said the results reflected the faith of Odia youths in the “transparent governance” of chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

“His student-friendly schemes such as free laptop distribution, setting up hostels for tribal students and formulation of the Odisha State Youth Policy have been well received,” said Ray.

A bonus for the ruling party was cancellation of elections at Utkal University, which is believed to be a Congress stronghold. In Cuttack, campus polls were a low-key affair with poor voter turnout in most colleges.

“There was less than 50 per cent voting in the college as nearly 600 students of various hostels have already vacated the hostels for the Puja vacation,” said Shailabala Women’s College principal Roshanara Begum. Rutuparna Das, a final-year arts student, has been elected president of the college.

Loknath Sethi bagged the president’s post at Christ College. Suryakanta Sial won the president’s election at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore while Bhabani Kanta Sahu was elected president of Berhampur University and Jadu Bihari Bag bagged the coveted post at Sambalpur University.