Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Odisha Chief Electoral Officer announces Rs 15 lakh ex-gratia for polling official killed in road accident

Bhubaneswar: Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) N B Dhal on Sunday said the next of kin of a government employee, who died during election duty, would get an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh as per the ECI guidelines.

Alekh Randhari, a class-IV employee of a government school, died on Saturday in a road accident near Swami Vivekananda Vidyamandir in Nabarangpur district while he was on the way to a polling station for Monday's elections.

Meanwhile, a report from Ganjam district said that a bus carrying polling personnel and EVMs turned turtle near Pitatali in Ganjam district on Saturday. At least 14 polling staff along with EVM machines were being transported to Kharriaguda in Chikiti assembly segments in the district when the bus turned turtle.

SP (Berhampur) Sarthak Sarangi said all the polling personnel were safe. The EVMs which they were carrying are also in the safe. The polling staff were going to their allotted booths at Khariaguda in another vehicle, he said. The accident took place as the driver failed to negotiate a curve on the way, police suspected.