Bhubaneswar, Oct 9: Two colleges in Odisha’s Bhadrak district have cancelled their student union elections scheduled for October 15, citing security concerns and an unavoidable situation on and around their campuses, officials said on Friday.

The elections at Bhadrak Women’s College and Naami College in Bhandaripokhari were called off.

In an official order, Naami Degree College announced the withdrawal of its earlier election notification, citing “certain unavoidable sensitive issues.” The order, dated October 7, was issued to inform staff and students of the undergraduate (+3) streams about the decision.

Similarly, Bhadrak Women’s College cancelled its Students’ Union Election for the 2026–27 academic session. According to the college notice, the decision was taken unanimously by the Students’ Union Advisory Committee in view of security concerns and an unavoidable situation inside and outside the campus. All previously issued notices related to the election were also withdrawn.

The decision triggered protests by students of Bhadrak Women’s College, who demonstrated against the cancellation. Police personnel have been deployed on the campus as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incidents, sources said.

As per the original election schedule, candidates were to submit their nomination papers on October 9 between 10 am and 1 pm. The list of valid nominations was scheduled to be published at 5 pm on the same day.

The cancellation at the two institutions comes just days before student union elections are scheduled to take place across colleges and higher educational institutions in Odisha on October 15.

Watch: Bhadrak College Election Cancelled | Students Stage Strong Protest Over Poll Cancellation