A day before the second phase of the Lok Sabha Polls, a polling official was killed by the Maoists in the Kandhamal district of Odisha on Wednesday while she was on her way to the polling booth. The polling official was shot dead near Barla Village under Gocchapad police station limits. The officer was identified as Sanjukta Digal.
The deceased was travelling for her election duty to the polling both in the Maoists-effected Kandhamal district when a group of Maoists exploded an IED targeting her vehicle. When it narrowly missed the vehicle the Maoists started firing at the vehicle and killed Sanjukta Digal. The other officials in the vehicle have survived injuries.
Maoists set a bike and two SUV s on fire in Phiringia. These vehicles caught in fire were carrying polling materials like EVMs and VVPATs for the polling to be held in the district in the second phase of the elections.
A similar IED explosive took place in Chattisgarh on April 9, when a BJP legislator Bhima Mandavi along with his three private security officers and driver of his vehicle was killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists. The Maoist attack in Chattisgarh took place two days before the polling for the Bastar Lok Sabha seat was scheduled to be held in first phase of April 11.
Polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Odisha has started today at 7 am, April 18. The results for the elections will be announced on May 23.
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