BJD team to visit Kotia over Andhra Pradesh poll activities

A BJD delegation will visit Kotia to review Andhra Pradesh's election-related activities. The mission highlights concerns over Odisha's territorial integrity and administrative authority.

In Short

• Residents in the contested villages are eligible to vote in both states
• The decades-old territorial dispute remains pending before the Supreme Court
• Former MPs and an MLA will gather first-hand accounts from locals

A delegation of the Biju Janata Dal is likely to visit the disputed Kotia panchayat area along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border on Friday to protest against election-related activities by Andhra Pradesh in three villages, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The visit comes amid the decades-old territorial dispute over the Kotia villages, with both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh claiming rights over the area. The matter is before the Supreme Court, while residents of the villages can vote in both states.

The BJD delegation includes former MPs Jhina Hikaka, Pradeep Majhi and Manohar Randhari, as well as MLA Jagannath Saraka, who is also vice-president of the party's tribal cell.

BJD president Naveen Patnaik, who had earlier written to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking his intervention, asked the delegation to meet Kotia residents and understand their concerns and difficulties.

The delegation will assess the situation and collect first-hand information about the election activities. It will then submit a detailed report to Patnaik for further discussion and appropriate action, the party said in a statement on Thursday.

The BJD said the visit was aimed at assessing the situation and understanding residents' concerns because of the issue's implications for Odisha's territorial integrity and administrative authority.

Referring to the BJP's manifesto for the 2024 elections, Patnaik had questioned the state government over its alleged failure to fulfil its promises on Kotia. He said the BJP had promised that a "double-engine government" would resolve the dispute, safeguard Odisha's territorial integrity and restore Odia pride.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government was considering legal action as Andhra Pradesh remained determined to hold panchayat elections in three Kotia villages that Odisha claims as part of its territory, officials told PTI.

The proposed BJD visit is intended to review Andhra Pradesh's election-related activities in the disputed villages and gather residents' views as the territorial dispute remains before the Supreme Court.

- Ends