Jajpur, June 1: In a tragic incident, an on-duty booth level officer (BLO) died after suffering from chest pain at a polling booth in Odisha's Jajpur district on Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as Manoranjan Sahu. He was assigned to election duty at booth no-157 at Oleichandanpur village under Binjharpur block in Jajpur district for the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State assembly.

According to sources, BLO Sahu complained of chest pain and fell unconscious at the polling booth this morning.

The BLO was rushed to the Community Health Centre, Binjharpur in a critical condition. However, the doctor declared him dead.

Earlier, the Election Commission announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh to the next of kin of a government employee, who died during election duty.

On the other hand, an elderly man also collapsed while standing in a queue in a polling booth in Iswarpur in Nilagiri Assembly segment in Balasore district. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, sources said.

Polling commenced for six Lok Sabha seats and 42 Assembly segments in Odisha on Saturday morning, amid tight security.

Voting began at 7 Am in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituencies, along with the 42 assembly seats that constitute these parliamentary constituencies in Odisha's fourth and last round of elections to Lok Sabha and State Assembly. Polling will continue till 6 PM, officials said.

The twin elections for all 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha are being held in four phases starting from May 13. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

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