Andhra announces Kotia polls, Naveen questions BJP over Odisha's rights

Bhubaneswar, 19 Oct (UNI) BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday questioned the BJP government's commitment to Odisha's territorial integrity after Andhra Pradesh announced local body elections in Kotia, a disputed border region in Koraput district, asking whether the BJP's pre-2024 poll promise of a permanent solution to the dispute had been reduced to a electgion slogan. Describing the development as "extremely alarming", Patnaik asked what had happened to the BJP's assurances that its "double-engine" government would resolve the Kotia dispute, safeguard Odisha's geographical integrity and uphold Odia pride. During his tenure as Chief Minister, the BJD had fought to protect…