Bhubaneswar: The contest for students’ union elections has narrowed down to 6,649 candidates after scrutiny of nominations and withdrawals, according to preliminary figures released by the higher education department.Elections will be held in 347 colleges and 13 universities on Oct 15 and the department received 8,799 nominations, of which, 1,245 were rejected and 439 candidates withdrew, leaving 6,649 in the fray.Colleges accounted for the bulk of the contest. Of the 8,370 nominations filed, 1,196 were rejected and 405 withdrawn, leaving 6,362 candidates to contest.In the 13 universities, 429 candidates filed nominations. While 49 nominations were rejected and 34 candidates withdrew, 287 remain in the race.With the final candidate lists out, aspirants have entered the last stretch of campaigning, reaching out to voters with promises on issues such as campus safety, hostel facilities and infrastructure.The elections are being held after a gap of eight years. Polling is scheduled from 8 am to 2 pm on Oct 15, with newly-elected representatives set to take the oath the following day.