Koraput: A day after Andhra Pradesh election officials claimed 40% polling in the disputed Kotia region, Koraput district administration on Friday contested the figures, estimating that only around 10% of voters from Kotia had exercised their franchise in the neighbouring state’s panchayat elections.Koraput collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said the 40% turnout cited by Andhra officials was based on the combined voting at a polling booth catering to several villages, including those in Andhra Pradesh, and could not be attributed solely to Kotia residents.“We had two objectives. The first was to prevent Andhra Pradesh from setting up a polling booth inside Kotia, and we were successful. The second was to discourage Kotia residents from participating in the elections. Though a few villagers did vote, the booth catered to several villages in Andhra Pradesh as well. Therefore, the claim of 40% polling cannot be attributed to Kotia residents alone. Based on reports collected from various sources, including the administration and other stakeholders, around 10% of eligible voters from Kotia had exercised their franchise in Andhra Pradesh,” the collector said, adding anyone can make any claim, but that does not make it correct.Andhra Pradesh election officials had claimed that 1,150 of the 2,899 registered voters in Kotia exercised their franchise, recording a turnout of around 40% in the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies.The Koraput collector said civil society organisations, political parties and the district administration had worked together to prevent the neighbouring state from holding polls in Kotia.Reiterating that Kotia is an integral part of Odisha, Mahajan further said the administration’s engagement with the region would continue beyond elections, with greater emphasis on infrastructure development, livelihood generation and tourism.“Our presence in Kotia is not limited to election periods. The district administration has always stood by the people, and we will intensify our engagement in the coming days through various development activities. We have strengthened infrastructure in the region and will now focus more on income-generation schemes. We also plan to develop Kotia as a tourism destination,” he said, adding that the administration was closely monitoring the situation.It would reach out to every village and household to strengthen people’s connection with Odisha.The administration is also preparing to take necessary steps in view of the upcoming sarpanch elections announced by Andhra Pradesh in the disputed region. Though a separate schedule for Kotia has not been specified, Andhra Pradesh has announced polling for sarpanch and ward member posts in three phases on Nov 26, 29 and Dec 2.