Andhra Pradesh to hold local body polls in Kotia today, Odisha puts disputed region under surveillance

Tension prevailed in the disputed Kotia panchayat a day ahead of local body polls planned by Andhra Pradesh, with the region being put under strict surveillance by the Odisha government.

Odisha revenue minister said the state government has prepared a plan to prevent Andhra Pradesh officials from entering the region.

This comes a day after police personnel and administrative staff of both the states engaged in a heated exchange. A senior administrative officer alleged that a campaign vehicle and a police vehicle from Andhra Pradesh forcibly tried to enter the region and remove the barricades put up by the Odisha administration.

Kotia comprises a cluster of 28 villages with a population of nearly 5,000. Since the 1960s, both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have claimed jurisdiction over 21 of these villages.

The Odisha government has alleged that Andhra Pradesh’s move violated a 2006 Supreme Court order directing both states to maintain the status quo in the region.

Leaders from BJP, BJD and the Congress camp at Kotia late on Wednesday night. (Express Photo)

“Andhra Pradesh officials are trying to enter into the disputed region to conducts polls, violating Supreme Court order. They are also trying to lure the voters there. We have prepared a plan to prevent them. Besides officials, leaders from all parties as well as civil society members are with us,” said Pujari.

The Andhra Pradesh administration has scheduled to hold Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) polls in Kotia on Thursday.

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Koraput district administration officials said as many as 15 platoons (around 400-500 personnel) have been deployed in the Kotia region and barricades have been set up in different places to prevent entry of Andhra Pradesh officials.

Special security arrangements have been made in Neridibalsa, Phagun Sineri and Phatu Sineri and other villages close to the Andhra Pradesh border.

The move came a day after police and administrative staff from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh engaged in heated exchange of words at the disputed region while asserting their jurisdictional claims over Kotia.

Odisha-Andhra officials & police confrontation

The Koraput district administration, meanwhile, has issued prohibitory orders in 21 villages in Kotia.

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Officials from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha also held discussions at Kotia.

The administration in Odisha has deputed 16 magistrates in the region to keep a tab on the situation. It has also deputed senior officials, including Koraput sub-collector Fabi Rashid, to camp there.

‘They tried to forcibly enter’

“When we opposed entry of a campaign vehicle in Kotia on Tuesday, a police vehicle from Andhra Pradesh came and forcibly tried to enter. When we told them that Kotia is under Koraput administration and the Supreme Court has ordered status quo in the region, they were not willing to listen. They tried to forcibly enter and to remove the barricades which led to tensions,” said Rashid.

She said the Andhra Pradesh administration cannot set up any polling station for MPTC and ZPTC polls in Kotia.

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Leaders of all political parties also seem to be on the same page over the issue even as they accuse each other of not doing enough to resolve it.

Odisha-Andhra officials & police confrontation

Last week, the Odisha government moved the Supreme Court, seeking contempt petition against Andhra Pradesh over its notification to hold local body polls.

Odisha’s Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take up the matter with the Union government and the government of Andhra Pradesh at the highest level, citing the recent development and tension in the region.

“Since both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are governed by parties belonging to the NDA, led by the BJP, urgent steps must be taken to protect Odisha’s territorial integrity, as promised in the BJP’s 2024 election manifesto,” the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president wrote in a letter – his second in past one week.

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Patnaik said it is the moral responsibility of the Odisha CM to ensure that the state’s legitimate interests are firmly protected and the situation on the ground is not allowed to escalate any further. “I hope the BJP leadership will honour its commitment to the people of Odisha and walk the talk on the Kotia issue, as guaranteed in its 2024 election manifesto,” he added.