Odisha border row: Team to visit Andhra Pradesh to identify fishermen with dual voter ID

PARADIP:  Participating in panchayat elections of Andhra Pradesh may prove costly for Sandhakuda’s Telugu fishermen as the Jagatsinghpur district administration had decided to send a team to the neighbouring State to identify persons having dual voter identity cards. 

Executive officer of Paradip Municipality Sourindra Routray said a team will go to AP to check the voter list and point out those who have enrolled in two places. Besides, a survey is underway to identify the persons who went to AP to vote in the rural polls. 

So far, 224 houses of Telugu fishermen in Sandhkuda have been surveyed. A detailed report will be submitted to the administration basing on which action will be taken, he added. The move comes in wake of hundreds of fishermen rushing to the neighbouring State to vote in the rural polls held in four phases on February 5, 9, 13 and 17. Sandhakuda houses nearly 6,000 fishermen of different districts in AP. 

Meanwhile, locals have raised questions on the outcome of the exercise as the fishermen community of Sandhakuda serves as a major vote bank of political parties. It is unlikely that names of Telugu fishermen having dual identity cards will be deleted from the voter list as they enjoy political patronage.