Munnar: A candidate to the district panchayat election and his team narrowly escaped an attack by a notorious tusker while returning from poll campaigning on Friday. The elephant chased their jeep for nearly half a kilometre, forcing the driver to reverse through a narrow estate road.

Congress candidate C Nelson, who is contesting in the Munnar division, and four members of his team encountered the elephant around 9.30 pm on Thursday at Nallathanni Kallar. The group was returning to Munnar after campaigning in the Puthukkad and the Factory divisions when the incident occurred.

Driver John Abraham, who was aware that the tusker had been on a rampage for two days after breaking the protective walls of the waste treatment plant at Kallar, spotted the elephant ahead. He immediately reversed the jeep along the narrow path. The elephant trumpeted loudly and charged, chasing the vehicle for nearly 500 metres.

As thick fog and darkness reduced visibility, the driver was forced to stop. The elephant circled the vehicle, sniffing around before eventually moving towards a nearby tea plantation. The team continued their journey after the jumbo moved away.