Three senior citizens collapse and die during Kerala Assembly polls

The Kerala Assembly polls held on Tuesday witnessed 73.58% voters turning up at polling booths to cast their votes. Unfortunately, three voters, all senior citizens, from Kottayam, Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts, lost their lives after they collapsed and died while waiting in the queue.

Sixty-five-year-old Gopinatha Kurup, a native of Aranmula constituency in Pathanamthitta district collapsed while waiting in a queue. Though he was immediately rushed to hospital, he passed away.

In Palakkad, a 69-year-old woman named Karthyani Amma, who had come to vote at Vithanassery near Nemmara in the district, collapsed by around 11 am. Though she was also rushed to a private hospital in the region, she too succumbed.

Another 75-year-old woman, who was reportedly waiting to cast her vote at a polling booth near Nattassery in Kottayam district, collapsed similarly. The woman who received injuries to her head due to the fall, was taken to a nearby hospital, but similarly succumbed.

There are also unconfirmed reports of two similar deaths, each from Wayanad and Idukki districts. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the state had witnessed eight such deaths

Meanwhile, an incident of a polling officer getting bitten by a dog in Alappuzha has also been reported. The incident happened at the 120th polling booth in Thalavady near Edathua in Alappuzha. The official, identified as Second Polling Officer, was shifted to the nearby Primary Health Centre.

In another booth in Thalavady, a polling officer made news after he turned up late for election duty. The Alappuzha District Collector has been informed to initiate action against the officer who said that he overslept. The official identified as First Polling Officer of the 130th polling booth at Thalavady, was replaced by another officer.