The Kotia dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh has returned to the foreground after Andhra Pradesh announced a three-phase panchayat election schedule beginning November 26, though polling dates for the contested villages have not yet been specified. The dispute concerns 21 of the 28 villages in Kotia panchayat under Pottangi block in Odisha’s Koraput district.
The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has scheduled rural polling for November 26, 29 and December 2. The election exercise is expected to cover areas under Parvathipuram Manyam district, which includes settlements claimed by both states. Whether the polling schedule will include the disputed Kotia villages remains unclear.
Odisha authorities are monitoring the situation. Pottangi tehsildar DBS Dharua said the state government was aware of the three-phase schedule but noted that the polling date for the disputed villages had not been announced. “We are closely monitoring the developments and necessary action will be taken,” Dharua said.
The uncertainty comes against the backdrop of earlier objections by Odisha to Andhra Pradesh’s attempts to conduct elections in the disputed villages. Any move to hold polling there could again bring the competing administrative claims into direct conflict, although the current report does not confirm that polling has been scheduled in the contested settlements.
Kotia lies in the hilly border region between the two states and has remained disputed for decades. Odisha maintains that all 28 villages belong to Koraput district. Andhra Pradesh claims 21 of them, identifies several settlements by different names and has extended administrative services to residents in the area.
The dispute is therefore not limited to the question of territorial maps. It also concerns which state’s institutions administer local services and conduct elections in villages where residents may encounter competing official systems. Panchayat elections bring that question into sharper focus because they involve the formal exercise of local democratic authority.
For residents, the immediate issue is whether the announced election process will extend into the contested villages and, if so, how the two states will respond. The report does not specify the final polling arrangements for those settlements. Odisha officials have said that necessary action will be taken as developments become clearer.
