On a day the Supreme Court deferred the hearing in the matter of Andhra Pradesh conducting panchayat polls in three bordering villages of Odisha, a team of officials of Andhra Pradesh had to make a hasty retreat in Gajapati district where they had come to conduct panchayat polls.
On Friday, the top court asked Andhra Pradesh government to file a response after Odisha government moved a contempt of court petition, seeking action against the neighbouring state over its violation of the apex court's order in 1968 and 2006. The Odisha government, in its petition, informed the court that the three villages where elections are to be held this Saturday fall within Odisha and form part of 21 villages in respect of which a suit was filed in 1968 by Odisha before the Supreme Court. It alleged that the recent action taken by Andhra Pradesh was in violation of the status quo granted on December 2, 1968.
While the hearing in the Kotia case is scheduled on February 19, a team of BJP officials, who had gone to Manikpatna village under Gangabada Grampanchayat in Gajapati district, found some Andhra officials, including an SP and Sub-Collector, discussing the modalities of conducting the gram panchayat polls. The officials fled the spot on Friday without being able to answer questions posed by Odisha BJP leaders touring the villages of Odisha-AP border in Koraput and Gajapati.
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{{/usCountry}}The BJP team led by Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik said the team confronted the Andhra Pradesh officials about the intention of their visit. "The officials of Andhra Pradesh were trying to persuade the villagers to vote in the panchayat polls. When we asked the officials to show their documents to prove Andhra Pradesh's claim on Manikpatna, they left the place," said Naik.
While Andhra Pradesh is staking its claim on three villages of Kotia gram panchayat of Koraput district, it is eyeing six other villages under the Gangabada gram panchayat of Gajapati district including Manikpatna. "The Andhra Pradesh officials have managed to persuade people of four villages to take part in panchayat polls. Even though Andhra Pradesh has been sending its officials to mislead our people, Odisha government has turned a mute spectator to this. The continuous negligence by the State government has led to such a situation. People do not even have the basic amenities here," said Bhrugu Buxipatra, BJP leader.