BCJD Accuses BJP of Rigging Odisha Student Union Polls

The Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), the student wing of the Biju Janata Dal, accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha of manipulating student union elections to favor the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). During a press conference in Bhubaneswar on October 12, BCJD leaders played an audio recording allegedly featuring a professor at Ramadevi Women’s University who invoked the Chief Minister's name while discussing efforts to secure an ABVP win and requesting confidential student records.

BCJD leaders alleged that BJP ministers and legislators violated Lyngdoh Commission guidelines by campaigning on campuses and claimed that candidates at Pipili College faced intimidation. BCJD President Ipsita Sahu demanded a high-level inquiry and the suspension of the professor involved in the recording.

BJP state vice-president Golak Mohapatra dismissed the claims as baseless and questioned the authenticity of the audio clip. Mohapatra asserted that the BJP had no role in the elections and highlighted that the current government revived student union polls after an eight-year hiatus. Both the ABVP and BCJD released manifestos on Monday focusing on campus security and infrastructure.