Bhubaneswar: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has emerged victorious in eight of Odisha's 13 state universities following the student union elections held on October 15. The outcome prompted a reaction from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who stated that the results demonstrate youth support for the Nation First ideology. The development follows earlier ABVP electoral successes at Panjab University and Delhi University, which Shah also referenced in his congratulatory statements. Meanwhile, the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, the student wing of the Biju Janata Dal, contested the overarching narrative by asserting that its supported candidates secured victories in a majority of college unions across the state.
According to the Odisha unit of the ABVP, its candidates successfully captured eight president posts, eight vice-president posts, 10 secretary posts, and 11 assistant general secretary posts across the eight state universities. ABVP state secretary Diptimayee Pratihari stated that the organisation swept the entire panel of posts at Utkal University and won every position except the presidency at Ravenshaw University. Conversely, candidates backed by the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal secured the president position in five universities and the general secretary position in one. Additionally, the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India secured the general secretary post at a single university.
Congratulating the winning ABVP office-bearers, Home Minister Shah remarked that the string of victories reflects the ideological alignment of the nation's youth. He characterized the outcome as a firm rejection of anti-national forces, in a reference connected to ongoing political agitations. Although student union elections in Odisha are officially non-political, major political parties actively back competing factions, with the ruling party supporting the ABVP, the Biju Janata Dal supporting the BCJD, and the Congress supporting the NSUI.
Challenging the significance of the university tallies, BCJD president Ipsita Sahoo asserted that her organization captured roughly 55 to 60 percent of college unions throughout the state, including victories at Rama Devi Women's University and Ravenshaw University. Sahoo added that candidates supported by the BJD triumphed in the vast majority of women's colleges across Odisha. These competing claims highlight a split outcome, with the ABVP emphasizing its footprint in major state universities while the BCJD points to its broader success in local colleges.