Heatwave: 10 poll personnel among 14 dead in Bihar, Tejashwi attacks govt

Fourteen people, including 10 polling personnel, have died from suspected heatstroke in Bihar in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday afternoon.

In a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department, most of the fatalities were reported from Bhojpur, where five officials on election duty supposedly died of heatstroke. Three election officials died in Rohtas, and one each in Kaimur and Aurangabad districts, it said.

Four other people died in different parts of the state, it added. The process of granting ex-gratia to the families of the deceased has been initiated, said the statement.

The state is reeling under sizzling heat as the mercury crossed 44ºC in several places. On Thursday, Buxar was the hottest at 47.1ºC. Due to the heatwave conditions, all schools, coaching institutes and anganwadi centres will remain shut until 8 June.

In a post in Hindi on X, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav said, "When government-run schools have already been closed owing to pressure from the opposition, why are teachers being asked to come to school in these intense heatwave conditions? What will teachers do when students are not in school? Teachers must be given leave in this scorching heat."

Elections to the 40 Lok Sabha seats were being held over seven phases, with polling in eight seats scheduled on Saturday.