Jagatsinghpur: Some unidentified miscreants have reportedly looted ballot box in Patasara under Sadar block of Jagatsinghpur district during the second of three-tier Panchayat Election in Odisha today.
Reportedly, around 20 to 25 miscreants entered the booths with sharp weapons, destroyed the booths, and looted ballot boxes along with other voting-related materials from booths 1 and 2 in Dholabandha Primary School in Patasara in the district amid strict security forces, said sources. Thereafter, they fled away from the spot
As a result, the polling process has been disrupted.
On getting the information, District Collector, Additional Collector, SP, BDO arrived at the spot and initiated an investigation. ” Re-polling in these booths will take place and strict action will be taken against those involved in this loot,” said SP Akhileshwar Singh.
It is to be noted that on the first phase of the panchayat election, a similar incident took place in Brahmagiri block of Puri where a youth entered the booth on a bike, took the ballot box, and escaped through the nearby forest.
As many as 62,10,000 people will cast their votes today at 20,436 booths of 1514 gram panchayats among which 3,065 are sensitive booths in 186 Zilla Parishad zones of 68 blocks in 30 districts.
Ms Kalinga