Odisha has moved the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh's fresh Kotia election notification. The plea seeks enforcement of the 2006 status quo order in the disputed region.Bhubaneswar,Oct 24, 2026 02:04 ISTThe Odisha government has filed a contempt petition against the Andhra Pradesh government in the Supreme Court over a notification to hold panchayat elections in the disputed Kotia region, news agency Press Trust of India reported on October 24.Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said Andhra Pradesh's move violated a 2006 Supreme Court order directing both states to maintain the status quo in the region.The petition was filed through the Koraput district collector after the Andhra Pradesh government issued a notification on October 10 to conduct Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the Kotia cluster of villages in Odisha's Koraput district.“We have filed the contempt petition in the apex court after getting approval from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi,” Pujari told reporters, according to PTI.

All 28 villages under the Kotia Gram Panchayat are in Odisha, while Andhra Pradesh has claimed rights over 21 of them. Odisha challenged the claim in the Supreme Court in 1968, and the court directed both states in 2006 to maintain the status quo.Pujari said contempt proceedings had been initiated against the Andhra Pradesh government.

The state election commissioner, chief secretary, collector of the district concerned and other officers involved in managing the elections have been made parties to the case. “We will also pray to the Supreme Court to direct the Andhra Pradesh government to refrain from such illegal activities in the future,” the minister said.Tensions had also arisen between the two states in 2021 after Andhra Pradesh held panchayat elections in the disputed region, prompting Odisha to file a contempt petition in 2022.An official told PTI that the Andhra Pradesh administration had again notified local body elections in the disputed villages of Phagunasineri, Ganjeipadar and Phatusineri.Pujari said Kotia was an integral part of Odisha and that the state was taking legal and administrative steps to uphold its rights. Odisha's latest petition challenges Andhra Pradesh's fresh election notification and seeks enforcement of the Supreme Court's status quo order.- Ends