Visakhapatnam: Kotia villagers in bind on which state to vote in

Visakhapatnam : The decades-old territorial dispute over Kotia villages, nestled in the picturesque hills of Eastern Ghats along the border of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, has once again come to the fore during the ongoing general elections across the nation.

With territorial rights being claimed by both the states, the matter is currently in the Supreme Court. People of these villages enjoy dual voting status, granting them the unique privilege of casting their vote in both states.

Geographically situated between the Araku Lok Sabha constituency on the Andhra Pradesh side and Koraput on the Odisha side, the Kotia villages have become the focal point of competition between the two states.

Both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha vie to extend various welfare measures to these 21 villages, each seeking to demonstrate its commitment to the well-being of the residents.

However, the upcoming challenge lies in the fact that the polling date falls on May 13 in both states, compelling voters to decide where to exercise their franchise. AP and Odisha Assembly elections are held simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls on May 13.

Underscoring the pressing need for a resolution to this impending crisis, the district officials of Parvathipuram Manyam district from AP side and Koraput district on the other side have initiated talks for smooth conduct of polls.

According to C Vishnu Charan, project officer of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) of Parvathipuram, who is also the returning officer for Saluru Assembly segment under Araku Lok Sabha seat, there are about 2,700 voters in all those 21 habitations which come under nine gram panchayats. During the 2019 polls, the authorities had set up polling stations outside the Kotia region due to absence of pucca government building.

“Basically, these people have voter ID cards from both the states. The Odisha government has issued the epic cards. AP government has also issued. So as long as the voting dates are on different dates, then it is not an issue. These people can go to Koraput side and also our side, and they can vote twice,” he told PTI.

Most of the villagers have cast their ballots on both sides during local body elections. A visit to any village gives a glimpse of signboards in Odia as well as Telugu. While the AP Girijan Cooperative Society office has Telugu signage, the Odisha counterpart will have their language.

Thondangi Lakshmi, a resident of Doolbhadra said she was allotted a house by the Odisha government while the power line and free electricity was offered by AP. Doolbhadra also has two schools, one in Odia medium and the other in Telugu. Two water tanks have been constructed by both states.

The villagers are free to collect free rice from both the governments and when it comes to old age pensions, the Andhra government provides Rs 3,000 while the other offers Rs 1,000, the villagers said. “If given a chance my family would like to be part of Andhra Pradesh,” a villager of Nerla Valasa said.

Gorla Satyavathi, sarpach of Sarika village, alleged that during the local body elections in Andhra Pradesh in 2022, the Odisha police had created obstacles for voters who came to exercise their franchise. A police official in the district said the villagers are free to approach any police station to file a complaint, if any.