Dual Identity in Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As Indian voters are gearing up to exercise their ‘Right To Vote’ for their political party and candidate during the Lok Sabha elections 2024, around 4000 privileged people residing in as many as 14 Indian villages are all set to cast their vote twice in the upcoming elections. These 4000 people are the only ones in the country, who have the privilege to cast their vote twice in the Lok Sabha elections and the reason lies in the location of their villages. Notably, these 14 villages are located along the border between Maharashtra and Telangana, and because of the decades old boundary dispute, the people residing in these villages enjoy dual identity and get the privilege of having two of every institution and facility provided by each of the government’s of the neighbouring states.

Reports suggest that the voters in these villages will first cast their vote for the Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra in the first phase on April 19, while on May 13, they will cast their vote for the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana in the fourth phase.

Around 6000 people residing in 14 villages along Maharashtra and Telangana border enjoys dual identity

It is being said that 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 provisions from the government’s of both the states, including gram panchayats and sarpanches to primary government schools and healthcare centres among other facilities.

Amid the ongoing border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, people residing in these 14 disputed villages along the Maharashtra-Telangana border feel privileged and appear to be remaining unmoved by the border dispute between the two states, while enjoying the benefits of facilities and schemes implemented by both the states.

Moreover, the residents of these villages say that they have no problem going with any of the two states if the local government awards ownership of their farmlands to them.

Reportedly, these 14 villages along the border of the two states are located in Jiwati taluka of Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district and Telangana’s Adilabad district figure in the voters list of both the states and people there enjoy dual identity, entitling them to take benefits of all the basic facilities including political status from both Telangana and Maharashtra.

The border dispute between both Maharashtra and Telangana has remained unresolved so far.