Silchar: Polling Officer Dies Of Heart Attack Before Reporting For Duty In Panchayat Elections

A polling officer appointed for the upcoming panchayat elections tragically passed away this morning after suffering a suspected heart attack, before he could report for duty.

The deceased, Nurul Haque Choudhury (55), a resident of Meherpur, Hailakandi Road in Silchar, passed away early on Thursday (May 1) morning. He was working as a Rural Health Inspector under the Office of the Joint Director of Health Services. Choudhury had been designated as Polling Officer One at a booth in Nagdirgram, Sonai, for the elections scheduled to be held on Friday (May 2).

According to reports, he was preparing to leave for the ISBT strong room in Ramnagar, Silchar, early this morning to collect election materials before proceeding to his assigned booth. However, before he could depart, he complained of chest pain and collapsed at his residence.

“This morning he complained of a pain in his chest and suddenly collapsed on the ground,” said a neighbour. “He was on his way to the ISBT.”

Choudhury was rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead. “He might have died on the way,” another neighbour remarked.

Polling officers are the unsung heroes of the largest democracy, who undergo long training and some travel to remote interiors to reach their designated polling booths.