JEYPORE: Koraput collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan on Friday said there was no significant participation of people from the Kotia group of villages in the Andhra Pradesh (AP) panchayat elections.
Addressing a press conference, the collector said most residents of Kotia villages were attending welfare camps organised by the Koraput administration in their respective areas along with government officials when polling was reportedly taking place in AP on Thursday.
He alleged that agencies of the AP government had exaggerated the polling figures by projecting a 32 per cent voter turnout from Kotia region. “If the people of Kotia were participating in welfare camps in their respective villages in presence of government officials, then who actually voted in the AP elections?” he questioned.
Mahajan said internal reports available with the district administration indicated that only a handful of people from the bordering panchayat might have participated in the polling. However, the figures did not corroborate the 32 per cent turnout claimed by the AP government agencies, he said.
The collector pointed out that the presence of villagers in their respective areas during polling hours, and the location and arrangement of polling booths on AP side of the border raised questions about the authenticity of the reported voter turnout from Kotia.
He thanked the people of Koraput, representatives of political parties and government officials for their cooperation in ensuring that no polling took place on the Odisha side of Kotia region.
Mahajan said the district administration would continue its efforts to safeguard the interests of people and maintain its administrative presence in the border villages.