Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 17 (ANI): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Saturday congratulated the party’s student wing, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, for its performance in recent student union elections in Odisha, alleging that the BJP-led state government used money power, muscle power and unfair practices during the polls.
“I congratulate the young leaders of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal for having done so well in the recent elections, winning more than 60% of the elections in the colleges, and around 50% of the elections in the universities in spite of the BJP state government using money power, muscle power and all unfair practices. I do congratulate all the young people of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal,” Patnaik said.
His remarks come amid celebrations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its student organisation, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), over the latter’s performance in student union elections across Odisha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated ABVP workers in Odisha following the organisation’s electoral performance, saying the results reflected the youth’s support for the “Nation First” ideology.
In a post on X, Shah referred to ABVP’s performance in Punjab University, Delhi University and 13 universities in Odisha, stating that the results conveyed a message about the political preferences of the country’s youth.
“Heartfelt congratulations to all the karyakartas of @abvpodisha for achieving a resounding victory in the Odisha Student Parliament elections,” Shah wrote.
He added that the results showed that the country’s youth were aligned with the “Nation First” ideology rather than forces that, according to him, spread falsehoods, illusions and chaos.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also welcomed ABVP’s performance, claiming that the organisation had won eight of the 13 universities in Odisha and secured 70 per cent of all contested positions.
In a post on X, Surya said ABVP had demonstrated its strength in student union elections despite what he described as propaganda and false narratives promoted by the Congress ecosystem.
ABVP Odisha also claimed victories across more than 100 colleges and universities in the state. In a separate post on X, the organisation shared figures for its performance across 346 colleges, claiming 208 president posts, 214 vice-president posts, 221 general secretary posts and 199 assistant general secretary posts.
The student organisation described the results as a mandate in its favour, stating that students had extended their support to its ideology. (ANI)
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