Official on poll duty dies of heart attack

NAVI MUMBAI: A 42-year-old government official died of a heart attack at Sanpada on Friday. While distributing voter slips, he felt pain in the chest and was admitted to a hospital, where he died.

According to civic officials, Uddhav Chandrabhan Bhawade, a junior clerk with the APMC in Vashi, was entrusted with the task of distributing voter slips among Sector 5 residents.

“Around 8am on Friday, when he went out to distribute the slips, he felt chest pain and returned home in half-an-hour. His wife admitted him to a private hospital in Sanpada, where he died around 12.30pm,” said Amrish Patnigere, deputy municipal commissioner (election).

Bhawade’s body was sent to NMMC hospital for a post-mortem following which it was handed over to his family, who took his body to his native place in Nanded to conduct the funeral rites.

“According to medical reports, he died of a heart attack,” said Patnigere.

“In an earlier meeting, we had instructed all officials to distribute the slips in the evening, as residents home by then. We don’t know why he went to distribute the slips in the morning,” he said.

“The ward officer has not been able to contact his family, as they have left for their native place. We don’t know if he had any long-term disease,” said another officer.