On-Duty Polling Official Dies Of ‘Heart Attack’ In Odisha’s Jajpur

Jajpur: A booth-level officer died of suspected heart attack while on election duty at Oleichandanpur booth no 157 in Odisha’s Jajpur district on Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as Manonranjan Sahu, headmaster of a primary school.

According to sources, he complained of uneasiness and was immediately rushed to community health centre at Binjharpur, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. It is being suspected that he suffered a stroke due to excess heat and humidity.

On Friday, at least 10 polling officials were hospitalised after they fell ill due to intense heatwave conditions in the district during EVM distribution.

Twenty-five poll staff on Lok Sabha poll duty had also died of suspected heatstroke in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Fifteen of these cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh.

Principal of Mirzapur’s Maa Vindhyavasini Autonomous State Medical College Dr Raj Bahadur Kamal told PTI that 13 poll staff died at the hospital following high fever and high blood pressure. The deceased include seven home guard jawans, three sanitation workers, one clerk posted at the Chief Medical Officer’s office, one chakbandi adhikaari (consolidation officer), and one peon in the home guard team.