Lok Sabha Election 2024: Bihar Presiding Officer, Home Guard Jawan on Poll Duty Die of Heart Attack

According to sources, Shailendra Kumar, the third polling worker at MNREGA Bhawan Center number 154 of Chandpipur Panchayat of Saraigarh, suddenly fainted while walking at the polling centre at 5 am on Tuesday. Home Guard jawan Mahendra Sah, who was doing the same job in Araria, too died of the same cause.

Supaul/Araria: In two separate incidents amid the ongoing Lok Sabha election, the presiding officer at a polling booth in Bihar's Supaul and a home guard jawan deployed on polling duties in Araria district of the state died due to heart attack on Tuesday, an official said.

The deceased have been been identified as Shailendra Kumar and Home Guard Jawan Mahendra Sah. Kumar, a teacher posted at PRLN + 2 High School Ratanpur, was deployed as the presiding officer for the ongoing 3rd phase of voting for the Lok Sabha election at booth number 154 in Supaul, Bihar.

Civil surgeon Dr Lalan Kumar Thakur confirmed the death of the polling official. Dr Kumar said that the cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem report comes. But preliminary investigation suggests that the presiding officer died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest on Monday night.

Sources said that Kumar, the third polling worker at MNREGA Bhawan Center number 154 of Chandpipur Panchayat of Saraigarh, suddenly fell unconscious while walking at the polling center at 5 am on Tuesday. Kumar's colleagues hurriedly rushed him to the Community Health Center Saraigarh Bhaptiyahi for treatment. But Dr. SK Satya declared the polling worker Shailendra Kumar dead at the hospital as per an official. An official said that the deceased was diabetic adding the body has been brought to the Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. His family has also been called to take the body, he said.

Meanwhile, Home Guard jawan Mahendra Sah, who was engaged in election duty in Araria, Bihar, too died of a heart attack as per an official. Mahendra Sah was a resident of Sitamarhi district and was on duty at booth no. 49 in the upgraded middle school Pacheli of Jokihat assembly constituency. The police have taken the body into custody and sent it for post-mortem.

The Supaul Lok Sabha seat is witnessing a contest between the main candidates—INDIA bloc candidate Chandrahas Chaupal of RJD and sitting MP and NDA candidate Dileshwar Kamait of JDU. Kamat comes from the backward class while Chaupal belongs to the Dalit caste. Independent candidate Baijnath Mahato is trying to make the contest triangular. The seat comprising six assembly segments has 71,284 first time voters including 36,349 male and 32, 736 female voters. Supaul Lok Sabha seat has the highest number of Yadav voters followed by Muslims, Kewat, Dhanuk, Mallah caste in the backward class and Dalit voters.