Bhubaneswar, October 17: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Saturday congratulated the party's student wing, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), claiming that it secured victories in 50 per cent of seats in universities and 60 per cent in colleges in the October 15 elections, despite misuse of power by the BJP-led state government.

“I congratulate the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal on its strong performance in the recent elections, winning more than 60 per cent of the college elections and around 50 per cent of the university elections, despite the BJP-led state government allegedly using money power, muscle power, and other unfair practices. I congratulate all the young members of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal,” Patnaik told reporters here.

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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 the Students’ Union elections, which was absent across the campuses for eight years since 2018.

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.