A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who was on a campaign trail, was killed by Maoists in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh – three days before the first phase of polling in the state, police said.

Ratan Dubey was the vice president of the BJP’s Narayanpur unit and the area’s assembly convener.

According to police, he was hacked to death with a sharp-edged weapon in the market area at Kaushalnar village.

Dubey was campaigning for Kedar Kashyap, who is contesting from the Narayanpur seat against Congress leader Chandan Kashyap, police said.

A police team rushed to the spot and efforts are underway to nab those involved, an official aware of the matter said.

Read Here: BJP worker shot dead in Maoist-affected Ambagarh Chowki

“At around 05:30 pm, Dubey had gone to Kaushalnar village, about 5km east from Jhargati police station, for campaigning, when he was attacked and killed with a sharp weapon by unidentified Maoists,” Sundarraj P, inspector general of police of Bastar range, said in a statement.

“On receiving information about the incident, police and security forces were sent to the spot, and the deceased’s body is being brought to the district headquarters at Narayanpur…,” Sunderaj said.

“I am deeply saddened by the brutal murder of Chhattisgarh BJP’s Narayanpur Assembly convenor and Narayanpur district vice president Ratan Dubey ji by Naxalites during the campaign. The entire party condemns this cowardly incident,” BJP leader Om Mathur posted on X (formerly Twitter).

On October 20, BJP worker Birju Taram was shot dead by suspected Maoists in Sarkheda village in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district.