Leaders selected, not elected at Gangadhar Meher college

SAMBALPUR: The student election fever that has gripped most colleges in the state has eluded Gangadhar Meher Autonomous College, where leaders are still selected.
The authorities of the college, a premier institute in western Odisha, said with the selection process, there is no unrest.
"We have experienced many student unrests in the past in connection to the students' union elections.So, we have adopted the selection process over the past 15 years and we have seen no unrest," senior faculty member and chairman of election committee of the college, J P Sathpathy, said on Wednesday.
He said according to the prevailing guidelines of the government, the HoDs of the various departments are asked to send nomination of at least five students from each department after taking into account their marks. "From them, the office bearers will select a president and a secretary. If there are more than one candidate for a post, there will be a vote," Sathpathy said.
Political parties feel the selection process is preventing the college from producing good leaders, who would fight for the development of the institute. Some others opined that even the students who are selected act on the advice of the teachers.
"Many former presidents of the college are presently top leaders of the state. But for several years, the college has not been able to produce good student leaders due to selection process. So, we want proper student election as would be held at other colleges in the state (on September 29)," secretary of the district Congress committee Jay Sankar Mishra said.
The principal of the institution, Smita Devi, dismissed such apprehensions. "Since our selection is based on the academic performance of students, we always get good leaders with moral values and good character," she said.