Andhra Pradesh's election notification for three disputed Kotia villages prompted an exchange between Odisha's BJP and BJD. The row sharpens scrutiny of an unresolved border case pending before the Supreme Court.
Bhubaneswar,Oct 20, 2026 23:36 IST
Andhra Pradesh's notification announcing elections in three villages of Odisha's Koraput district has triggered a political row, with the ruling BJP and the opposition BJD trading allegations over the decades-old border dispute, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari accused former chief minister Naveen Patnaik of trying to cover up the previous BJD government's mistakes after Patnaik questioned the BJP government's alleged silence on the matter.
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh claim rights over 21 of the 28 villages in Kotia gram panchayat along their border. The dispute is pending before the Supreme Court, where a fresh suit filed by Odisha in January 2022 remains under consideration.
Patnaik, the BJD president and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, had written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressing concern over Andhra Pradesh's notification announcing elections in Phagunasineri, Ganjeipadar and Phatusineri villages of Kotia gram panchayat.
He asked whether the Odisha government's alleged silence was linked to the BJP's dependence on the Telugu Desam Party, which governs Andhra Pradesh and is an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
"What happened to the BJP's assurances that Kotia belongs to Odisha? What makes this even more troubling is that the Telugu Desam Party, which governs Andhra Pradesh, is a crucial ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre," Patnaik had said.
Responding to the letter, Pujari accused the previous BJD government of failing to resolve the border dispute. "We have been trying our best to resolve the Kotia issue. I visited Kotia four times in the past two years, and our ministers are making regular visits to connect with the people there," he told reporters, according to PTI.
"Several developmental works have been taken up in the area. However, the issue, the border dispute with Andhra Pradesh, has escalated due to the negligence of the previous BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik," Pujari said.
He described Patnaik's letter to Majhi as an "eyewash" and "an attempt at covering up past mistakes". Pujari said he held the five-time former chief minister in high regard but alleged that the letter was an attempt to remain in the limelight rather than offer constructive suggestions.
"We respect your experience. Come forward and let's resolve the issue together. I also call upon the BJD for an open debate over the Kotia matter," the minister said.
Pujari held a meeting on Tuesday with Odisha's advocate general, the revenue divisional commissioner of the southern division and the Koraput district collector to discuss the issue. "I have asked the RDC and collector to keep a close watch on the Kotia area and keep the state government updated," he said.
Both the BJD and the Congress accused the BJP government of "double standards" and failing to protect Odisha's territorial integrity and pride.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that Odisha had faced setbacks since the BJP came to power in the state in June 2024.
"The BJP supported the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, a black law under which Odisha lost its rights over mineral-bearing land, along with a pending amount of Rs 1 lakh crore and Rs 12,000 crore every year. For the BJP, the interests of a few industrialists mattered more than those of 4.5 crore Odias. It did not even consider the interests of our Gen Z," Mohanty said.
On the Kotia dispute, Mohanty said the BJP had raised the "Go back, Andhra" slogan while in opposition and formed a 16-member Kotia Committee after coming to power. "Yet, there has been no result. The double-engine government continues to fear the TDP," he alleged.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das blamed both the BJP and the BJD for failing to resolve the border dispute with Andhra Pradesh.
The dispute over the Kotia cluster reached the Supreme Court in 1968, when it directed both states to maintain the existing position. In 2006, the court ruled that such inter-state boundary disputes were best resolved by Parliament under Article 131 of the Constitution.
The latest election notification has renewed the political dispute over Kotia, even as Odisha's fresh suit, filed in January 2022, remains under consideration before the Supreme Court.
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