Decks cleared for polls at Utkal Varsity this year

Bhubaneswar. Sep 21: Decks were cleared for Students’ Union
elections here at the Utkal University after the university’s Post Graduate
(PG) Council gave its nod for the democratic exercise of the students on Wednesday
two days after the Advisory Committee gave its green signal.

The process will be held after a gap of one year.

PG Council chairman Ranjan Bal said as the campus had not
witnessed any violent incident this academic year the faculty members and the
PG Council strongly favoured for poll process this year.

He, however, clarified that the election process will be
cancelled at any point of time, including during polling, if violence breaks
out.

“We will constantly monitor the situation in the campus,” said
Bal.

The decision to hold the polls this year, scheduled for
October 5, was taken at a meeting of the PG Council in the presence of the HODs
of 36 departments.

While filing of nomination papers and verification would be
completed on September 29, candidates can withdraw their nominations on October
1 and the final list of contesting candidates would be made public by evening
on the same day.

The ‘What I Stand For’ meeting has been scheduled for October
4, a day before the elections.

But long before the premier institute decided to hold polls,
banners and posters put up by the aspiring candidates are already dotting the
campus.

Aspirant candidates and students have been advised to comply
with the Lyngdoh panel norms strictly failing which their candidatures will be
cancelled.