Tanima Ray

Balasore: Couple of hours ahead of the fourth phase elections, a poll official died on way to a polling booth in Nilagiri area of Odisha’s Balasore district. The deceased has been identified as Purnachandra Panda.

Panda, an employee of Barabati School, was to be deployed at booth no 28 (Ayodhya High School) in Balasore for the polls tomorrow.

According to reports, Panda along with other poll officials had boarded a bus and was heading towards booth no. 28 when he complained of uneasiness.

Later, other officials rushed Panda to Nilagiri hospital where he was declared dead.

"The poll official fell sick inside the bus and was immediately rushed to hospital. Unfortunately, he was declared dead," said, Additional Collector, Rakesh Panda.

This is third incident where a poll official has died during elections in Odisha. Earlier, 42-year-old polling staff died while voting was underway at booth no-41 in Kantapal area under Parjang Assembly constituency in the district during the third phase polls on April 23.

A staff of Champua High School,  Abhaya Kumar Sethi, who was engaged as fifth polling officer at booth no 149 of Ghasipura Assembly constituency, had died at a despatch centre on April 21.

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