Bhograi: Voters from about 12 villages in Balasore district and some border villages in Mayurbhanj district reportedly cast their votes for the Assembly polls in West Bengal Thursday. As per reports, more than 300 voters from Ward No-18 of Shankhamedi village under Balasore’s Bhograi block reportedly voted in the Ramnagar Assembly constituency under West Bengal’s East Midnapur district. They cast their votes at polling stations in Bagbrajkishorepur and West Santeshwarpur primary schools.
Similarly, voters from border villages, including Udaypur, Sahabajipur, Dakshina Sarisa, Bajitpur, Narasinghpur, Ganeshwarpur, Panishandha, Upula and Sagada Sahi are said to have bypassed security arrangements to vote in West Bengal constituencies.
In the Jaleswar Assembly constituency, voters from Raibania and other adjoining villages also reportedly cast votes in polling stations of West Midnapore district, sources said. The border dispute between Odisha’s Balasore district and West Bengal’s Purba (East) Midnapore district has been persisting since 1978. However, villagers claim the dispute started much earlier.
According to local residents, the Odisha government has stopped collecting land revenue from Sankhamedi since 1962, leaving them in a legal limbo. Bhograi MLA Goutam Buddha Das emphasised that Sankhamedi was, and remains, an integral part of Odisha. He called for an immediate secretary-level meeting between both states to reach a permanent border settlement. However, the reality on the ground suggests West Bengal’s tightening grip. Ward member Ajay Jena confirmed that all eligible voters in the village recently cast their ballots for the Ramnagar Assembly seat in West Bengal’s East Midnapur district, signaling a shift that may be difficult to reverse without swift intervention.
Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily