Odisha campus elections have turned hostel safety, food quality, drinking water and sanitation into central campaign issues, as candidates canvassed student accommodations across Bhubaneswar and Cuttack ahead of Thursday’s polls.
With classroom campaigning limited over the weekend, candidates visited hostels and other student residences to meet boarders and record complaints about everyday facilities. At Utkal University, the three candidates contesting the students’ union president’s post — Abhiram Mishra, Sourav Behera and Suryanarayan Nayak — visited all 13 hostels.
“Food is certainly a major concern flagged by many students, but so are safe drinking water and transportation facilities between different parts of the campus,” Nayak said. He added that the candidates were noting the problems faced by outstation students living away from their homes.
The campaign has also highlighted gaps in hostel infrastructure. AISF state president Sanghamitra Jena said students at campuses in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack had raised concerns about food quality, security and sanitation. The demands include sanitary napkin vending machines, drinking water filters and refrigerators.
Jena said one hostel at Utkal University had only one water filter serving three floors. AISF, which has joined hands with the National Students’ Union of India to contest the Utkal University polls, has promised to work towards free hostel accommodation and food for residential students if its candidates win.
Similar complaints were reported from BJB Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar, as well as Shailabala Women’s College and Christ College in Cuttack. Hostel residents cited poor food quality, broken fans and inadequate sanitation. Pragyna Das, a student at Shailabala Women’s College, said a shortage of housekeeping staff had made it difficult to maintain clean hostel premises, while food quality remained a concern.
The issues place student housing facilities at the centre of the election campaign rather than treating them as secondary welfare concerns. For residential students, access to safe water, regular cleaning, adequate ventilation, food and internal transport directly affects daily life on campus.
The election campaign was also marked by an alleged attack on Aryan Mohapatra, an ABVP member contesting for president of the BJB Autonomous College students’ union. According to the report, Mohapatra was allegedly attacked by a group while campaigning at Padapadia in Pipili on Sunday. He sustained serious head injuries, while some candidates and supporters suffered minor injuries. He was first taken to Pipili hospital and later shifted to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Separately, ABVP claimed that its candidates had been elected unopposed to 252 posts across 60 colleges in Odisha after the withdrawal deadline ended. The claimed unopposed victories include 12 president posts, 17 general secretary posts, 22 vice-president posts and 23 joint secretary posts.
Candidates now have limited time before polling on Thursday. Their outreach has brought hostel management, campus security and the provision of basic services into direct focus as students prepare to vote.
