Agra, Jan 9 (IANS): The students wings of major political parties have joined the fray in the students union elections of residential institutes of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University here Thursday.

Voting in the polls began Thursday morning and the results will be declared by evening, officials said. The university was earlier named Agra University.

Voting was held at the Khandari campus of the university.

Former student leader Shravan Kumar Singh said: "Only the students of the residential institutes of the university, numbering about 2,100, will vote. It is wrong to call it Agra University students' union."

The Ambedkar University affiliates more than 500 colleges and institutes from Noida to Lucknow, but students union elections are confined only to the residential institutes. Colleges have their own unions.

University's election official Rajendra Sharma said arrangements were made to maintain security on campus and avoid bogus voting.

Candidates from National Students' Union of India (Congress), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (RSS) and Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, among others, have put up candidates to test their popularity among youth ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls.