Dhenkanal: An on-duty polling official attached to booth number 41 in Kantapal village under the Parjanga Assembly segment passed away Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Nabakishore Nayak.
According to sources, he collapsed inside the polling booth that comes under Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency. While he was taken to Kamakhyanagar hospital, doctors could not save him despite their best efforts.
“His blood pressure was unusually high and he was in a critical condition when he was brought here. He died of a heart attack,” said doctor Subash Chandra Mandal, who attended to him at the hospital.
Sub-collector cum Returning Officer Bishnu Prasad Acharya said that the polling process was not affected because of Nayak’s departure.
“We deployed another man in his place immediately after he fell sick. Polling was not affected. We are aware of his demise. His family will be compensated according to prevailing government norms,” said Acharya.
However, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bhubaneswar said they were yet to receive any report regarding the tragedy.