LUCKNOW, Feb 21: Four people died in separate incidents and leftist rebels ambushed election officials during polling for the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Thursday.

Naresh Dayal, the state’s home secretary, informed reporters a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was killed in a clash with political rivals and a woman was killed in “accidental gunfire” by police.

Two election officials died of heart attacks, he said.

Dayal said a group of election officials returning to their base after voting ended were attacked by leftist rebels.

He said armed policemen accompanying the officials fought a fierce gunbattle with the rebels. A policeman and an election official were injured but the rebels fled after the arrival of paramilitary forces, he said.—Reuters