KORAPUT: The BJP, the BJD and the Congress have found one thing to agree on. Leaders of all three decided at an all-party meeting on Thursday to jointly resist Andhra Pradesh's move to hold panchayat samiti and zilla parishad elections in the disputed Kotia villages, where polling is now scheduled for November 5.
The meeting, chaired by Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan, ended with a unanimous resolution to protect Odisha's territorial claim.
"Not an inch of Kotia will be surrendered to Andhra Pradesh. Kotia is an integral part of Odisha, and we are one when it comes to protecting the region," said Jeypore Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati. He added that those choosing to vote in Andhra Pradesh's elections on November 5 should also give up the benefits they receive from the Odisha government.
BJD leader and former Koraput MP Jhina Hikaka said leaders from every party will visit the villages together and camp there if needed to stop the elections from being held. BJP MLA Raghuram Machha said the state government was taking all measures needed to protect Odisha's interests and asked the other parties to cooperate.
The administration has already moved the Supreme Court. Mahajan said a contempt petition has been filed challenging Andhra Pradesh's electoral activity in the region. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will run from November 1 to keep law and order.
"Anyone found luring villagers to participate in Andhra Pradesh's elections or violating prohibitory orders will face legal action. Arrests will be made if necessary," the collector said. Security has been tightened in sensitive border villages, with personnel posted at key points to monitor movement.
Kotia, a cluster of villages in Pottangi block of Koraput district, has been claimed by both states for decades and the dispute is before the Supreme Court. Residents hold documents from both sides, and many vote in Odisha's Pottangi constituency and Andhra Pradesh's Salur constituency.
Andhra Pradesh shifted its polling date from November 3 to November 5, and counting from November 5 to November 7, because municipal election counting was already fixed for November 3. Two candidates are in the fray from Kotia panchayat, Chiranjeevi Tadangi of the TDP from Uparasembi village and Kan Puri Majhi of the YSR Congress from Neridibalsa.