Odisha has approached the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh’s plas to hold local body elections in three villages of Kotia, intensifying a decades-old territorial dispute that has resurfaced ahead of polling due on November 3.
The petition names Andhra Pradesh election officials and other authorities involved in the electoral process. “What happened to the BJP’s assurances that Kotia belongs to Odisha? Patnaik questioned, alleging that the BJP government’s dependence on its NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), could be affecting its response. These remain political allegations, which the state government disputes through its stated legal and administrative action.
The Andhra Pradesh government issued an election notification on October 10 for Phagunasineri, Ganjeipadar and Phatusineri in Kotia gram panchayat, located in Odisha’s Koraput district. On October 25, Odisha’s opposition Biju Janata Dal or BJD demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. Senior leaders Pradeep Majhi and Bhrugu Buxipatra called on Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to seek a resolution, while former chief minister Naveen Patnaik questioned the BJP’s commitment to its 2024 election promise of permanently resolving the dispute.
Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the state had filed a contempt petition, alleging violation of the Supreme Court’s status quo direction.
