Bangalore : Nine persons, including three election officials, died in various parts of the State on the day of polling for the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. Of them, eight died following heart attack, and the other was killed in a road accident.
A 52-year-old polling officer, Bashirsaab Maulasaab Jahiri in Raibag taluk of Belgaum district, died after he suffered a massive cardiac arrest inside the polling station.
In another incident, 55-year-old Mr. Gangaiah, who had reported for duty at a polling station in Turuvekere town of Tumkur district on Wednesday night, complained of chest pain around 2 a.m. on Thursday.
He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Incidentally, both Mr. Jahiri and Mr. Gangaiah were village panchayat employees deputed for poll duty.
There was another death in Tumkur district. Sixty-five-year-old Sundara Bai, died due to heart attack soon after casting her vote at a polling station at Attikatte in Gubbi taluk.
A sixty five-year-old voter, Nanjundappa, suffered a heart attack after he exercised his franchise at a polling station at Kengeri. He died on the way to the hospital.
Seventy-year-old Gangamma suffered a heart attack while emerging out of a polling station at Moodshedde in Dakshina Kannada district and died while being taken to hospital.
In Yadgir district, 50-year-old Manappa Bavi died of heart attack soon after voting at a booth in Surpur taluk.
In Chamarajanagar district, 60-year-old Chandramma collapsed after exercising her franchise at a polling booth at Ramasamudra and died immediately.
In Mysore, 63-year-old Nanjamma died on returning home after casting her vote.
Forty-seven-year-old Chellur Venkatesh, a teacher who was on election duty at Turuvekere as a reserve staff, died on the spot when the van he was driving hit a bridge at 3.30 p.m. The district administration is inquiring how the reserve polling personnel was relieved of his duties in the middle of polling.