Kotia Polls Row: Andhra Pradesh Files Counter To Odisha Plea In Supreme Court

Bhubaneswar: The Andhra Pradesh government has filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court, which will hear Odisha’s petition on Friday on the recent panchayat polls conducted by the neighbouring state in three villages of Kotia panchayat in Koraput district.

The affidavit filed by the Vizianagaram district collector M Hari Jawaharlal states that the three villages— Ganjeibadara, Patuchinauru and Faguchinauru— come under the Araku Lok Sabha and Salur Assembly constituencies. In these three villages, the Andhra Pradesh government had conducted the panchayat polls in 2006 and 2013, it added.

Along with the affidavit, the list of the voters of these three villages, who had participated in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2014, has also been submitted in the apex court.

Stating that the Andhra Pradesh government has been providing basic facilities to the people of these three villages, the affidavit has said that the government has acted as per the directive of the Supreme Court in 1968 and 2006 to maintain the status quo in these villages.

Also Read: Kotia Dispute To Be Heard Next Friday, Know SC’s Response To Odisha’s Contempt Of Court Plea Against Andhra

Also Read: Kotia Polls: BJD Leader Accuses Odisha Govt Of ‘Administrative Lacuna’