The hills of Odisha and Andra Pradesh are alive with the sound of dual voting

Mushri Tadingi, 45, sits on a charpoy outside his just-constructed concrete house, at an altitude of 1,200 metres in the heart of the Eastern Ghats along the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. “In the morning I will cast my vote in Odisha, and in the afternoon, I will go to the Andhra Pradesh polling booths,” says Mushri, hailing from Madkar village in the Kotia panchayat that Odisha claims is part of the State’s Koraput district and Andhra claims is part of their Parvathipuram Manyam district. The tension between the two States escalated when Andhra established polling booths in Kotia villages and conducted direct panchayat elections in select villages in 2021, disregarding Odisha’s objections. The 2024 election battle The Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, says, “Odisha has been traditionally holding elections in the villages and Kotia had polled above 65% in 2014 and 2019 general elections.” Keerthi Vasan, Koraput District Collector, says that elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the election. If our index finger is marked by the indelible purple-black ink, we will surely lose the opportunity to vote for the Andhra Pradesh candidates later in the day.” Sundhuru Tadingi of Madkar village says, “Our village has resolved to boycott the elections if coercion is exerted to ink us in the morning.” Residents across locations like Phagunsineri, Phatusineri, and Doliamba, raise a similar demand — the right to vote in both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh polling booths.