Jayapur: Amid heightened tensions and heavy police deployment along the disputed Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, residents of the Kotia cluster of villages in Koraput district voted in Andhra Pradesh’s three-tier panchayat elections on Thursday.
The polling booths had been shifted away from the disputed territory following objections from the Odisha administration.
The polling had triggered a fresh face-off between the two states. Koraput authorities had opposed Andhra Pradesh’s move to set up a polling booth at Neredivalsa, arguing that the village fell within Odisha’s territorial jurisdiction.
Andhra Pradesh authorities subsequently relocated the polling booths to their side of the border. Police personnel from both states were deployed along the contentious stretch to prevent any untoward incidents.
Koraput district officials said the administration had not stopped anyone from voting, as exercising the franchise was a constitutional right.
However, they maintained that voters must participate voluntarily and without coercion. With around 4,500 voters in the Kotia region, officials said it was difficult to ascertain how many had voted in the Andhra Pradesh elections. Some residents had exercised their franchise, they added, while reporting that no untoward incidents had occurred.
Polling Percentage: Sarika – 376 out of 746 voters – 50.40%, Kurukutti – 888 out of 1205 voters – 73.69%, Neralla Valasa – 398 out of 1260 voters – 31.58%, Pagulu Chennuru – 216 out of 509 voters – 42.43%, Pattuchenneru – 539 out of 1130 voters – 47.69%
The territorial dispute involving 21 villages in the Kotia cluster dates back to 1955, following the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1953.The matter is pending in the Supreme Court.
