KOTIA: Despite heightened security measures and restrictions imposed by the Odisha government to prevent voting in Andhra Pradesh’s rural local body elections , hundreds of residents of disputed Kotia villages trekked 7 to 14km through forest routes to reach polling stations and cast their votes on Friday.




The elections to the mandal parishad territorial constituencies (MPTC) and zilla parishad territorial constituencies (ZPTC) in the Kotia region of Salur mandal in Parvathipuram Manyam district saw heightened tensions, with police personnel and officials from the two states involved in confrontations over territorial jurisdiction.




Odisha deployed more than 16 platoons, each comprising around 30 personnel, across the region. Police blocked roads, set up three checkpoints and prevented Andhra Pradesh police from entering Kotia.




Amid the tension, the Andhra Pradesh government shifted the polling booth at Neridivalasa to Sarika village, on its side of the border, on Thursday night.




Odisha police also stopped voters from crossing the inter-state border. The report said five people, including MPTC candidates T Chitanjeevi and Majji Kanupiti, had allegedly been taken away by Odisha political leaders and police a few days earlier. Their whereabouts were not known.




Of the 28 villages in the Kotia cluster, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been claiming jurisdiction over 21. The dispute dates back to the 1930s, with the matter pending before the Supreme Court since 1968.




Residents of the 21 disputed villages hold voter identity cards, ration cards and Aadhaar cards issued by both states. Both states also run ration shops, while some villages have schools established by each state.




Residents have voted in elections in both states in 2019 and 2024, as well as in Andhra Pradesh’s MPTC and panchayat elections in February 2021.




However, this is the first time the BJP and opposition parties in Odisha have collectively opposed Andhra Pradesh’s decision to hold rural local body polls in the disputed region.




In the past two days, officials from Odisha’s Koraput district and Andhra Pradesh’s Parvathipuram Manyam district have confronted each other at the inter-state border while asserting their respective jurisdictional claims.




Odisha authorities warned of stringent legal action, including arrests, against those violating prohibitory orders or influencing villagers to participate in the polls.




Odisha police also set up a check-post at Neridivalasa to prevent residents from voting in Andhra Pradesh’s local elections. They stopped a vehicle carrying public distribution system (PDS) rice to Ganjaibhadra and nearby villages in the disputed region.




Chodipalli Katuro of Dulibhadra village and Sulu Gemela of Yeguva Kotia alleged that political leaders and Odisha police harassed them, warned them against voting and blocked roads to restrict movement.




“We trekked about 7 km to Sarika village despite the restrictions and cast our votes,” they said, adding that they wanted to remain under Andhra Pradesh’s jurisdiction and did not want welfare schemes from Odisha.




Sidarapu Swami, a resident of Pattuchenneru village, alleged that Odisha authorities had harassed tribal residents and tried to disrupt the elections.




He said villagers had benefited from Andhra Pradesh’s welfare schemes and development activities and had decided to support the state.




Swami said they trekked around 14km through dense forest to reach Thonam and vote. Some villagers had reached Thonam on Wednesday and stayed with relatives before casting their votes, he added.




More than 2,800 voters are registered across the 21 disputed villages. More than 800 had cast their votes by the time of filing this report.