Bihar: Dead Man Wins Panchayat Polls on Sympathy Wave

28 Nov, 2021 10:23 IST

A dead man won a panchayat election riding on a "sympathy wave" created by his death.

The real-life tragicomedy was discovered in a Bihar village as authorities were giving out certificates to candidates who had won the November 24 elections. Sohan Murmu, the winner of Deepakarhar village's Ward No. 2 in the Khaira block, was nowhere to be seen.

 Khaira BDO Raghavendra Tripathi stated, "On investigation, we discovered that Murmu died on November 6, more than a fortnight before the election."  Deepakarhar happens to be a remote hamlet situated along the state’s border with Jharkhand.



"Family relatives of Murmu, who defeated his challenger by 28 votes, said it was the deceased's final wish to win the election."  So they kept quiet. No resident of the village informed us either. It appears that they all voted in his favour to honour his last wish,” said the BDO. "No one can get the winner's certificate. We are going to write to the state electoral commission and urge that the election for the ward in question be cancelled and new elections held," Tripathi said.

whatsapp channel
Read More:
More News