Lok Sabha elections: 4 men collapse and die amid Phase 2 voting in Kerala

Voter turnout in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was around 50% as of 3 pm in Kerala

Updated on: Apr 26, 2024, 17:13:35 IST

By HT News Desk

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Four persons collapsed and died in different parts of Kerala after voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 started on Friday.

A man votes during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Palakkad, Kerala. (AP)

Three of the deceased were voters and one was a polling agent, Onmanorama reported. Polling started at 7am in Kerala.

Also read: Bengaluru votes amid near heat-wave like conditions

A 68-year-old voter collapsed after casting his vote Ottapalam, Palakkad. Though he was rushed to hospital , he was declared dead on arrival, the news website said. Ottapalam recorded a temperature of 38 degress Celsius and 39% humidity on Friday.

Left Democratic Front polling agent Anees Ahmed (66) was rushed to hospital after he collapsed in Kozhikode Town’s booth number 16 but could not be saved, Mathurbhumi.com. The mercury level of 33 degrees Celsius in Kozhikode was accompanied by 61% humidity on Friday.

Also read: Voter turnout across India

In Malappuram district’s Tirur, a 63-year-old madrassa teacher collapsed and died after returning home from voting in the Lok Sabha elections, Mathurbhumi.com reported. Tirur recorded a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius and humidity levels of 60% on Friday.

Similarly, a 76-year-old-man died in Alappuzha district’s Ambalappuzha died after returning home from voting, Mathurbhumi.com said. Ambalappuzha saw a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and humidity levels of 68% on Friday.

Voter turnout in Kerala

Voter turnout was around 50% as of 3 pm in Kerala. All 20 constituencies are voting in Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha polls.

While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in the Wayanad constituency has received the most attention, two sitting Union ministers are also in the fray from the state. Union minister of state V Muraleedharan is contesting in the Attingal constituency.

In nearby Thiruvananthapuram constituency, Rajeev Chandrashekar, Union minister of state for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology is looking to unseat high-profile Congress member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor.

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HT News Desk
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