Caught in Maharashtra, Telangana border row, 14 villages grapple with ‘privilege’ of voting twice

About 4,000 voters from 14 villages along the border between Maharashtra and Telangana could be the only ones in India to have the “privilege” to vote twice in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections — in Maharashtra for the Chandrapur constituency in the first phase on April 19, and then in Telangana for the Adilabad constituency in the fourth phase on May 13.

Because of the decades-old boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Telangana, these 14 villages, located in a remote belt, with an aggregate population of over 6,000, have two of every institution and facility, provided by each of the neighbouring states — ranging from gram panchayats and sarpanches to primary government schools (one instructing in Marathi, the other in Telugu) and health care centres.

The territorial dispute over the 14 villages (called Sade Bara Gaav in Maharashtra) that fall in the Kerameri tehsil of Adilabad in Telangana and Jivati tehsil of Chandrapur in Maharashtra, dates back to 1956, when the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed.

The 14 villages come under two gram panchayats — Parandoli and Antapur — which are over 30 km apart. The villagers have two voter ID cards each with their names listed in the constituencies of both the states.

Each of the villagers also have two ration cards, Aadhaar cards, MNREGA cards, caste certificates and other documents — one each from Maharashtra and Telangana, based on their respective classifications — which enable them to avail benefits of social welfare schemes from both states.

The only difference between the two gram panchayats is that while all villages under Parandoli receive water and electricity supply from both states — although the Maharashtra services are billed — residents of the five villages under Antapur