Bhubaneswar, Feb. 14: The State Election Commission today asked all district collectors and police superintendents to provide adequate escort for the safe return of polling officials, who were assigned duty for the first phase of panchayat elections yesterday.

The commission has also ordered re-poll in 62 polling booths across the state. The move came in the wake of reports of criminals attacking polling officials at several places and snatching ballot boxes from them while returning from the polling booths late yesterday evening.

Commission secretary R.N. Sahu said: "We have directed all collectors and police superintendents to arrange for police escorts for all polling officials to ensure their safe return. We have asked the polling officials not to return without police mobile squads."

"To ensure safety of the polling officials and materials, the presiding officer shall be asked not to leave the polling station without proper security," the commission guidelines said, adding: "The polling officials preferably should return in groups".

Sahu said re-poll had been ordered in 62 polling booths mostly where boothcapture and snatching of ballot boxes or papers had been reported. "The re-poll has been ordered on the basis of reports from respective district collectors," he said.

Commission sources said re-poll would be held at 16 polling stations in Cuttack district, 11 in Kendrapara, 13 in Puri, five in Jajpur, four each in Bhadrak, Boudh and Koraput, two in Balasore and one each in Dhenkanal, Nuapada and Sundargarh districts. In another development, polling officials have left for their respective polling stations where the second phase of polling will be held tomorrow for 175 zilla parishad zones and 13 gram panchayats in 29 districts across the state.

Deputy inspector general of police S. Shyni today visited Malkangiri district and reviewed the security arrangements in the Maoist-hit zone. A BJP delegation, led by its state vice-president Samir Mohanty, today met State Election Commissioner R.N. Senapati. Alleging that the district collectors and the police superintendents were acting as the BJD functionaries, the delegation urged the poll body to ensure free and fair elections in the state.

"We requested the commission to use its constitutional powers and exercise control over the government officials involved in election management and direct them to act impartially," said Mohanty.

However, BJD spokesperson Sashi Bhusan Behera denied the allegation.