BJP vs TDP: Dispute over 21 villages — claimed by both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh; BJD, Congress join battle

NEW DELHI: The border dispute over Kotia panchayat between BJP-ruled Odisha and NDA ally TDP-governed Andhra Pradesh is once again in focus after Andhra issued a notification for panchayat elections, including 21 disputed villages claimed by both states as part of their territories.

While Odisha claims that these villages are part of Pottangi block in Odisha’s Koraput district, Andhra Pradesh asserts that these villages fall under Salur block of Parvathipuram Manyam district.

Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other Odisha leaders have objected to the Andhra government’s notification.


THE ‘HISTORICAL’ DISPUTE

Odisha claims these 21 villages were part of the Jeypore Estate before 1936. After the creation of Odisha province in 1936, a part of the estate was transferred to Visakhapatnam district. These 21 villages in Kotia were never properly mapped. Even after Andhra’s creation in 1956, the status of these villages remained unclear.

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It was only after the discovery of minerals such as bauxite and graphite that both states staked claims to the 21 villages. Andhra included them in Salur taluka of the Parvathipuram sub-division while Odisha claimed they were part of Koraput district. In 1968, the Odisha government approached the Supreme Court, which ordered the parties to maintain the status quo, saying the Constitution barred it from determining state boundaries and that the matter could be resolved by Parliament.

EXPLOITING STATUS QUO

The status quo ordered by SC has been interpreted differently by the two states. Both include the 21 villages within their territories. Residents have voter ID cards and Aadhaar cards from both states, allowing them to access benefits from both and also vote in elections in each state.

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The inhabitants are largely tribals from the Kondh community. In Odisha, they fall under the Pottangi assembly and Koraput Lok Sabha seats. In Andhra, they fall under the Salur assembly and Araku Lok Sabha seats. During the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, voters first cast their ballots in Odisha and requested that indelible ink not be applied to their fingers. Subsequently, they voted in Andhra’s LS and assembly polls, held on the same day.

RIFT OVER PANCHAYAT POLLS

In 2021, Andhra Pradesh announced panchayat polls in the disputed villages. The Odisha government approached the high court and later SC to stop the elections. However, the apex court did not halt the polling.

Citing Covid-19 restrictions, the Odisha government imposed Section 144 across the area, preventing voters from going to polling booths set up by Andhra. As a result, only 17% polling was recorded in Kotia during the panchayat elections.

In 2022, Odisha held its own panchayat elections in the region, recording 76% polling. Some villages, however, boycotted the polls following instructions from the Andhra government.

To counter Andhra’s efforts to assert its claim, BJD, Congress and BJP fielded a joint candidate for the Zila Parishad seat in Pottangi Zone 1.

EFFORTS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE

Pradhan visited Kotia panchayat three times between 2018 and 2023. He also wrote to the then Odisha CM Patnaik and Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, urging them to resolve the dispute. In November 2021, Reddy visited Bhubaneswar and met Patnaik to discuss the dispute. However, the meeting failed to produce a resolution.

CURRENT SITUATION

Odisha minister Suresh Pujari told ET that the state was exploring all possible options to prevent the panchayat elections announced by Andhra. “We will revive our contempt petition in SC with our claims to the 21 villages. We are looking at other options too. It is true that we are part of the state government in Andhra and, if needed, we would seek directions from the Centre on the issue,” Pujari told ET. “This is a violation of status quo as directed by SC,” he added.

Andhra minister G Sandhyarani, who is also MLA from Salur, maintained that the status quo order did not prevent the state from holding elections and applied only to new construction.

Meanwhile, Odisha has stepped up development work in the region. In May 2025, the state government formed a 16-member panel headed by Pujari to coordinate work across various departments and expedite development.

With BJD and Congress also joining the fight, BJP now finds itself locked in a battle with its own ally, TDP, as the party shares power in both Andhra Pradesh and at the Centre.