But Rupal, a resident of Talsembi in the Kotia group of villages, is both thrilled and nervous he will cast his first ever vote, and in two states on the same day.
At a 60-km drive from the Koraput district headquarters, with a well-maintained road occasionally diverted by the ongoing Bharatmala project, lies the Kotia group of villages nestled amid small, tall hills near Deomali, Odisha's highest peak in th Eastern Ghats. Under this picturesque prevails an uneasy calm- of a decades-old territorial dispute.
Odisha claims 21 of the 28 villages in the Kotia panchayat, home to 8,000-odd people, predominantly Kondh tribals. However, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh says the area belongs to the Salur mandal in Vijayanagaram, now Parvatipuram Manyam district.
The residents vote in two states in the Pottangi Assembly constituency and Koraput Lok Sabha (LS) seats in Odisha, and the Salur Assembly and Araku LS segments in Andhra Pradesh. Both states hold simultaneous Assembly and LS elections, but this is for the first time these constituencies are going to the polls on the same day, May 13.
The YSRCP organised special vehicles that ferried people from Kotia to Salur. "We went to the rally as asked by the elders," said Rupal, who claims to have two voter identity cards.
So does 35-year-old Markanda Gemel, who says his Ganjeipadar villagers will vote in Odisha in the morning hours before proceeding to booths set up by Andhra Pradesh outside the disputed area. Not only do villagers have two voter identity cards, but some also hold ration and pension cards from Andhra Pradesh as well, with slightly tweaked names. This helps them get benefits from both states.
Denne historien er fra May 04, 2024-utgaven av Business Standard.
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Denne historien er fra May 04, 2024-utgaven av Business Standard.
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