Campus Polls / Amit Shah Hails ABVP's Odisha Student Union Elections Sweep as Victory of ‘Nation First’ Ideology

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar, Oct. 17: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday congratulated the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for its victory in the recently held student union elections in Odisha, stating that the outcome reflected the country's youth firmly backing the "Nation First" ideology and rejecting forces that spread "falsehoods, illusions and chaos."

In a post on X, Shah hailed the ABVP's strong performance across Odisha's universities, saying the student body's successive victories at Panjab University, Delhi University and now Odisha underscored growing support among young people for nationalism.

"Heartfelt congratulations to all the karyakartas of @abvpodisha for achieving a resounding victory in the Odisha Student Parliament elections," Shah wrote. He said the results from 13 universities in Odisha conveyed a clear message that the nation's youth stood with the ideals of nation-building rather than divisive politics.

BJP Leadership Welcomes Outcome

Earlier on Friday, BJP president Nitin Nabin also congratulated the ABVP's victorious candidates and workers, describing the result as a reaffirmation of the youth's faith in nationalism and national interests.

"Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all the victorious candidates and dedicated workers on the resounding victory of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the student union elections held in Odisha," Nabin said.

He asserted that the election results showed students had rejected what he termed the politics of anarchy. According to Nabin, young Indians, inspired by the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, were committed to nation-building and would play an important role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Campus Polls After Eight Years

The student union elections were held across Odisha on October 15 after a gap of eight years, marking the return of campus democracy in higher educational institutions across the state.

Polling took place in 337 colleges and universities and recorded an overall voter turnout of 56 per cent. Official data showed that 3,610 candidates were elected, including 3,453 students from colleges and 157 from universities.

The elections witnessed enthusiastic participation from students across the state, with ABVP emerging as the dominant force in a majority of institutions. The outcome is being viewed as politically significant, as student elections are often regarded as an indicator of emerging trends in youth opinion and future political alignments.