Bhubaneswar, Sept. 13: The banners are out as campaigning for the students' union elections started at the Ramadevi Women's University today. While Chinmayee Jena has been fielded as the presidential candidate, Tanmayee Hota is the secretary candidate for the Biju Chattra Janata Dal (BCJD).
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) are yet to announce their candidates. The aspiring student leaders are promising a host of new facilities for the varsity if they are elected to power.
A student of the varsity, Sudhamayee Nayak, was hit by a vehicle in front of the campus recently. The students are demanding a foot overbridge to make it convenient for them to cross the main road in front of the university after the incident.
A team of students already met Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation officials and urged them to construct a foot overbridge. The officials have agreed to their demand and the foundation of the overbridge will be laid soon.
The aspiring leaders of Ramadevi University have also promised to build more toilets for the students. At present only three toilets cater to about 3,000 students.
They have also demanded installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to check the entry of outsiders into the campus.
At Utkal University, the ABVP, buoyed by its recent success at the Delhi University polls, has decided to field Suryamani Das as its presidential candidate. Sources said that the ABVP would spend a heavy amount of money to win the upcoming elections at Vani Vihar.
The NSUI will field Ashok Nayak and Varun Karkariya as its presidential and secretarial candidates respectively while the BCJD will field Mahesh Prasad and Ipsita Sahoo as its presidential and secretarial candidate.
The elections at Utkal were cancelled last year following campus violence.
At BJB Autonomous College, incidents of clashes are being reported on a regular basis and the authorities are unsure about holding the elections. However, elections are likely at Ekamra College and Maharaja College.
A formal notification on the elections will be declared on September 23.
