Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha Election: Two Voters Collapse & Die At Polling Booth In Salem

On Friday, Chinnaponnu visited booth number 250 in Sentharapatty, which is part of Kallakurichi Lok Sabha constituency, to cast her vote along with her son. 

Both voters are reported to have passed away due to cardiac arrest. ( Image Source :Pixabay )

Two elderly people who came to polling booths to vote in Lok Sabha elections in Salem and Kallakurichi constituencies died on Friday. The two deceased have been identified as R Chinnaponnu (77) of Sentharapatty in Kallakurichi Lok Sabha constituency and Palanisamy (69) of Suramangalam in Salem Lok Sabha constituency. 

On Friday, Chinnaponnu visited booth number 250 in Sentharapatty, which is part of Kallakurichi Lok Sabha constituency, to cast her vote along with her son. 

Upon her arrival, she was inked on her index finger. When she went towards the EVM, she collapsed, as per a report on ABP Nadu. 

Immediately, the officials and her son took her to the hospital but she died reportedly due to cardiac arrest. 

In another incident, N Palanisamy arrived at the polling booth in Salem district. While he tried to enter the polling booth, he suddenly collapsed on the premises. He was immediately rushed to the nearby Primary Healthcare Centre. However, he was declared dead on arrival.

Regarding the fatalities of voters at a polling booth in both Salem and Kallakurichi constituencies, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo mentioned that he had requested comprehensive reports from the district election officials regarding these incidents.

"Appropriate measures were taken at all the polling centres to provide shade and drinking water to protect the voters from the intense heat," the CEO said, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, voters eagerly arrived at certain polling stations as early as 6:30 AM to cast their votes. In some booths, disputes arose after the booth officials stopped people from taking their smartphones along with them for polling. Technical issues with electronic voting machines caused an hour's delay in voting at booths such as the one near Tambaram in the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha segment.