In a bizarre coincidence, two presiding officers deployed in the election process in Raipur district died due to cardiac failure on Thursday, while 56 poll staff were suspended in Korba district on charges of dereliction of duties. State Chief Electoral Officer Alok Shukla said presiding officer Pyare Lal Dhruv, who was posted at Telibandh booth of Raipur (North) constituency, died of a heart attack early this morning. Another presiding officer, K K Jena, who was in charge of Gariabandh booth in Rajim Assembly segment, also died due to a heart attack just before the start of polling. Shukla added that voting was not affected, since the officers were replaced on time. Meanwhile, the returning officer of Korba has ordered the suspension of 56 polling staff on the charge of dereliction of election duty — the employees are accused of either remaining absent of work or not reporting for duty on time. Action will be taken against them following a departmental inquiry, officials said.
