MP: Polling official stabbed in Bhopal

Bhopal, Nov 27: A presiding officer at Lahar constituency in Bhind district was stabbed while another presiding officer died of brain haemorrhage in Katni district even as polling progressed on a peaceful note across Madhya Pradesh today.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Srivastav told reporters that three unidentified miscreants barged into the booth no 38 at Dhamole-ki-malaiyya village and attacked with a knife Presiding Officer Ram Pratap, who was rushed to the hospital.

Polling was, however, not affected due to the incident, he added.

In another incident in Katni district's Barwara constituency, Presiding Officer Sabhanarayan Tiwari, a teacher from Rewa, died due to brain haemorrhage at Dharwara booth. A substitue officer was immediately deployed and polling continued uninterrupted.

Meanwhile, polling was by and large free, fair and peaceful till noon, Mr Srivastav said, adding that a few incidents of damaging and malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Manchines (EVM) were reported from some polling booths across the state. But all the EVMs were replaced and polling resumed on a peaceful note, he said.

He said mock polling was carried out at all booths in 230 constituencies but there was no polling agent in 196 booths while only lone agent was present in 1,349 polling booths, he added.

UNI