Several victorious candidates of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat elections succumbed to Covid-19 even before they could hear about their success, said a News18 report.

Pinki Devi from Nagla Usar gram panchayat of Manipuri, Vimla Devi from Kapuri Ekauna in Deoria, and many others from Kannauj, Pratapgarh and Barabanki districts died after showing coronavirus symptoms prior to result declaration on May 2, 2021.

Pinki Devi died around April 30 and was declared the village head on Sunday. A winner of 338 votes, she was being treated at a private hospital in Agra following difficulty in breathing and fever. Similarly, Vimla Devi died on Sunday morning while on oxygen support. She won 556 votes, while her nearest rival Sarva Prabha won 348 votes.

In Pratapgarh, three-time village head Manju Singh of Kalakankar gram panchayat won 451 votes while Ramsukh from Madura Raniganj village of Mangraura block, won 523 votes. The news was declared after both died due to illnesses. Ramendra from Uttamapur gram in Kannauj got 359 votes but did not live to hear the happy news.

Four days prior to the result, another village head candidate Kusumlata from Ranapur gram panchayat of Barabanki died unaware that she won by a margin of 60 votes. At the same time, Bhagauti Prasad Verma, the village head from Devkali gram panchayat of Siddhaur block, won by 510 votes died late on May 1 night. Lastly, Shivkumari from Padrava seat, died during the counting of votes on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission (SEC) decided to follow rules and plan a by-election at all places where winners died. Other than candidates, the recent elections have also claimed the lives of at least 706 primary teachers who were on election duty.

Speaking to Sabrang India, Uttar Pradesh Primary Teachers Association (UPPTA) General Secretary Sanjay Singh said the SEC should not hold any further elections until the healthcare situation improves.

“After the Supreme Court hearing, they said they will take curfew-like precautions. They didn’t. Anyone who sees Sunday’s photos can understand that much. Teachers who were diagnosed as sick were sent home. We will continue to boycott these elections if the government does not listen to our concerns,” he said.

Singh said that following the list of 706 deaths, the Association will soon publish a new list naming all workers who died after April 30.

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Voting for the second phase of Panchayat elections is taking place in Uttar Pradesh today. Over 3.48 lakh eligible voters across twenty districts will decide the fate of over three lakh candidates vying for different positions in various local bodies including zila panchayats, kshetra panchayats, gram panchayats and gram wards.

Polling is taking place in the state capital of Lucknow and also in Varanasi. Other places where votes are being cast today include Amroha, Azamgarh, Badaun, Baghapt, Bijnor, Chitrakoot, Etawah, Etah, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gonda, Kannauj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lalitpur, Maharajganj, Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar, Pratapgarh and Sultanpur.

Many of these areas such as Muzaffarnagar, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Bijnor are communally sensitive, areas such as Badaun have been in the news for incidents of sexual violence, often against women from oppressed and marginalized communities. Meanwhile, the entire state is reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic that is showing no signs of abating. Even the Chief Minister himself was forced to go into self-isolation after contracting the virus.

The first phase of polling had taken place on Thursday, April 15 when voter turnout was recorded at about 71 percent. However, the Election Commission has ordered repolling in at least 20 booths following allegations of poll rigging. These include Fatehabad and Jagner blocks in Agra; Milkipur, Sohawal and Bikapur in Ayodhya; Soraon block in Prayagraj; Moth block in Jhansi among others.

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